Cessna 172Q accident near Belleville, Michigan, August 2, 1987
On August 2, 1987 at about 9:15 pm local time, a Cessna 172Q, registered N96593, was substantially damaged in an accident near Belleville, Michigan (Yipsilanti airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 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
- August 2, 1987 · about 9:15 pm local time
- Place
- Belleville, Michigan · Yipsilanti · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172Q · all 172Qs on the register
- Registration
- N96593 · no longer on the register · serial 17276092
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ALTHOUGH THE PLT SAW A DARK WX AREA APCH THE ARPT HE ELECTED TO SHOOT A TOUCH AND GO BEFORE TERMINATING THE FLT. AFTER TOUCHDOWN AND DURING TAXI TWR ADVISED WIND WAS 270 DEGREES AT 40 KTS. THE PILOT CONTINUED TAXI TO THE SOUTH AND THE WIND NOSED THE ACFT DOWN.
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: 86 hours in all; 2 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 30 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,473 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 11, 1987
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2J (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: YIP Belleville MI at 8:39 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 20 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,000 ft; scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:03 pm from YIP
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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 N96593 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.