Cessna 210M accident near While Lake Twp., Michigan, February 28, 1986
On February 28, 1986 at about 3:53 am local time, a Cessna 210M, registered N761VX, was substantially damaged in an accident near While Lake Twp., Michigan. It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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
- February 28, 1986 · about 3:53 am local time
- Place
- While Lake Twp., Michigan · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 210M · all 210Ms on the register
- Registration
- N761VX · no longer on the register · serial 21062563
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS FOUR MILES FROM THE ARPT ON AN ILS APCH WHEN AN ENG FAILURE WAS EXPERIENCED. THE ACFT WAS DAMAGED DURING THE FORCED LANDING ON A FROZEN LAKE. POST ACCIDENT ENG TEARDOWN REVEALED THE ENG FAILURE ORIGINATED FROM MOVEMENT OF THE #2 MAIN BEARING. THIS RESULTED IN A BENDING OVERLOAD OF THE CRANKSHAFT AND EVENTUAL SEPARATION OF THE CRANKSHAFT AT THE #3 CHEEK.
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: 4,520 hours in all; 515 in this make and model; 365 in the last 90 days; 4,390 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,781 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 2, 1985; 25 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-L4 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Pdq Air Service, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: DET Detroit MI at 4:15 am
- Destination: PTK Pontiac MI
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 090° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 2,000 ft; not recorded at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:59 am from PTK, 3 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.
Other NTSB records under N761VX the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.