Cessna 182RG accident near Marine City, Michigan, September 9, 1987
On September 9, 1987 at about 6:33 pm local time, a Cessna 182RG, registered N251NW, was destroyed in an accident near Marine City, Michigan (Marine City 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 9, 1987 · about 6:33 pm local time
- Place
- Marine City, Michigan · Marine City · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182RG · all 182RGs on the register
- Registration
- N251NW · no longer on the register · serial R18201398
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PIC LOST DIRECTIONAL CONTROL DURING LIFT-OFF. THE AIRCRAFT THEN DRIFTED LEFT, AWAY FROM THE RUNWAY, CARTWHEELED AND CAME TO REST UPSIDE DOWN. THE PIC AND PASSENGER EXITED THE AIRCRAFT AS IT STARTED TO BURN. THE PIC STATED THAT HE NOTED IMMEDIATELY A CROSSWIND AFTER LIFT-OFF WHICH MOVED THE AIRCRAFT TO THE LEFT.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 2,513 hours in all; 1,565 in this make and model; 74 in the last 90 days; 2,347 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: None (expired)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,945 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 1, 1987; 9 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,100 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-J3C5D (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 76G at 7:33 pm
- Destination: CGF Cleveland OH
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 22, 2,250 ft by 42 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.
Other NTSB records under N251NW 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.