Cessna 172M accident near Port Huron, Michigan, October 28, 1983
On October 28, 1983 at about 11:20 pm local time, a Cessna 172M, registered N1453U, was substantially damaged in an accident near Port Huron, Michigan (St. Clair airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 28, 1983 · about 11:20 pm local time
- Place
- Port Huron, Michigan · St. Clair · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N1453U · registry record · serial 17267120
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT STATED THAT SHORTLY AFTER TOUCHDOWN SEVERAL DEER CAME OUT OF THE NEARBY WOODS & STOPPED ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE RWY. HE ATTEMPTED TO SLOW THE ACFT DOWN WHILE STAYING ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE RWY BUT WENT OFF THE RWY & COLLIDED WITH A RAISED CONCRETE EDGE OF A TAXIWAY. THE LANDING WAS ON RWY 5 & THE WINDS WERE GUSTING 30 KTS FROM 330 DEG.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 898 hours in all; 475 in this make and model; 42 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,055 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 15, 1983
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E20 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DTWW Detroit MI at 10:50 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 5, 5,105 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 330° at 20 knots, gusting 30
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 11:30 pm from PHN, 12 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.