Cessna 195 accident near Port Huron, Michigan, May 30, 1986
On May 30, 1986 at about 10:15 pm local time, a Cessna 195, registered N4745G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Port Huron, Michigan. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was 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
- May 30, 1986 · about 10:15 pm local time
- Place
- Port Huron, Michigan · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 195 · all 195s on the register
- Registration
- N4745G · registry record · serial 7173
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE FLIGHT WAS TO BE A CURRENCY FLIGHT FOR THE PLT WHO INDICATED THE ACFT HAD SAT UNUSED FOR OVER 8 MONTHS. AFTER 10-15 MINUTES OF FLIGHT THE ENGINE STOPPED. A HARD LANDING WAS MADE ON LAKE ST. CLAIR AND THE ACFT WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED. WHEN INTERVIEWED THE PLT STATED 'I'M SURE IT'S WATER IF I HAD IT TO DO OVER AGAIN I WOULD DRAIN THE TANKS COMPLETELY.'
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; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,037 hours in all; 30 in this make and model; 66 in the last 90 days; 1,981 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,867 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 1, 1985
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Jacobs R-755A2 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: RLA New Baltimore MI at 10:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:45 pm from DTW, 24 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.