Cessna 175 accident near Gregory, Michigan, March 16, 1986
On March 16, 1986 at about 4:40 pm local time, a Cessna 175, registered N7191M, was substantially damaged in an accident near Gregory, Michigan (Gregory airport). It was a ferry 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 October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 16, 1986 · about 4:40 pm local time
- Place
- Gregory, Michigan · Gregory · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 175 · all 175s on the register
- Registration
- N7191M · no longer on the register · serial 55491
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Ferry flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE NEWLY PURCHASED ACFT WAS BEING FLOWN OFF OF THE SELLER'S TURF STRIP. AFTER TAKING OFF, THE ACFT STRUCK 50 FT TREES OFF OF THE END OF THE RUNWAY. THE SELLER, WHO WATCHED THE TAKEOFF, STATED THAT THE PILOT OVERROTATED THE ACFT AFTER LIFT-OFF.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 755 hours in all; 665 in this make and model; 50 in the last 90 days; 500 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,450 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 12, 1986; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,350 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental GO-300-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: M159 at 4:40 pm
- Destination: ARB Ann Arbor MI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 1,440 ft by 40 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 010° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,600 ft; not recorded at 2,600 ft
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:45 pm from JXN, 32 miles away
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.
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.