Cessna U206F accident near Grand Ledge, Michigan, October 28, 1986
On October 28, 1986 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Cessna U206F, registered N1803Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near Grand Ledge, Michigan (Crippen Field). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. 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
- October 28, 1986 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Grand Ledge, Michigan · Crippen Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna U206F · all U206Fs on the register
- Registration
- N1803Q · no longer on the register · serial U20602927
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRCRAFT EXPERIENCED ENGINE FAILURE DURING TAKEOFF AND NOSED OVER IN AN OPEN FIELD. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE DID HIS RUNUP ON THE RIGHT FUEL TANK AND TOOK OFF ON THE LEFT FUEL TANK. INSPECTION OF THE AIRCRAFT FOUND WATER IN THE LEFT FUEL TANK. THE PILOT STATED HE DRAINED FUEL FROM THE RIGHT TANK DURING PREFLIGHT BUT COULD NOT RECALL CHECKING THE LEFT TANK.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 4,090 hours in all; 1,402 in this make and model; 105 in the last 90 days; 4,090 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,027 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 18, 1986; 6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,500 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Grand Ledge MI at 6:35 pm
- Destination: AZO Kalamazoo MI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:51 pm from LAN, 7 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 N1803Q 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.