Cessna 310G accident near Ypsilanti, Michigan, September 14, 1986
On September 14, 1986 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Cessna 310G, registered N8996Z, was substantially damaged in an accident near Ypsilanti, Michigan (Willow Run 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 October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 14, 1986 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Ypsilanti, Michigan · Willow Run · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 310G · all 310Gs on the register
- Registration
- N8996Z · no longer on the register · serial 310G0096
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE LEFT MAIN GEAR COLLAPSED AND THE ACFT VEERED OFF THE LEFT SIDE OF THE RUNWAY DURING THE LANDING ROLL AT AN GROUNDSPEED OF APRX 30 KTS. INSPECTION OF THE LANDING GEAR DISCLOSED A BENT PUSH PULL TUBE.
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
- Flight time: 545 hours in all; 31 in this make and model; 36 in the last 90 days; 494 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,341 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 26, 1986; 30 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,990 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-470-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 7D2 Troy MI at 4:30 pm
- Destination: YIP Ypsilanti MI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 9L, 7,294 ft by 160 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 080° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 6,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:45 pm from DET, 9 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.