Stearman E-75 accident near Lake Odessa, Michigan, June 2, 1985
On June 2, 1985 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Stearman E-75, registered N65688, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lake Odessa, Michigan (Private Strip airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. 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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 2, 1985 · about 9:00 pm local time · cases in 1985
- Place
- Lake Odessa, Michigan · Private Strip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Stearman E-75
- Registration
- N65688 · registry record · serial 75-8469
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
UPON LANDING THE AIRCRAFT VEERED TO THE RIGHT. POWER & LEFT RUDDER WERE APPLIED, HOWEVER, THE AIRCRAFT CONTINUED TO THE RIGHT. POWER WAS REDUCED BUT THE AIRCRAFT CONTINUED TO THE RIGHT. THE AIRCRAFT NOSED OVER AFTER COMING IN CONTACT WITH A SOFT, PLOWED FIELD. THE LANDING WAS MADE TO THE SOUTH WITH WINDS FROM 270 DEGREES AT 5 KNOTS.
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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 12,160 hours in all; 63 in this make and model; 282 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection; 14 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,825 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental 220 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 2,100 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N65688 on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Engine: Continental 220 · as the NTSB recorded it
- Accidents and incidents in Michigan 2,107 since 1982 · 230 in the last ten years
- Michigan 7,224 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CHI85LA224.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.