Cessna 305A accident near Gregory, Michigan, August 28, 1988
On August 28, 1988 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Cessna 305A, registered N5166G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Gregory, Michigan (Richmond airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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
FAILURE (AT FIRST PARTIAL, THEN TOTAL) OF THE AIRCRAFT'S POWERPLANT AT AN ALTITUDE OF ABOUT 100 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND DURING THE INITIAL CLIMBOUT WITH A GLIDER IN TOW; A FORCED LANDING ENSUED, DURING WHICH THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK A FENCE, A SMALL TREE, AND IMPACTED THE GROUND. THE GLIDER RELEASED AND LANDED WITHOUT INCIDENT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 28, 1988 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Gregory, Michigan · Richmond · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 305A · all 305As on the register
- Registration
- N5166G · no longer on the register · serial 22285
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AS THE AIRCRAFT CLIMBED THROUGH AN ALTITUDE OF ABOUT 100 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND WITH A GLIDER IN TOW, THE ENGINE BEGAN TO RUN ROUGH, AND THEN FAILED COMPLETELY. THE PILOT EXECUTED A FORCED LANDING IN A GRASSY, ROLLING FIELD, STRIKING A FENCE AND SMALL TREE BEFORE IMPACTING THE GROUND.THE GLIDER RELEASED AND LANDED WITHOUT INCIDENT. POST-ACCIDENT EXAMINATION OF THE POWERPLANT, IT'S SYSTEMS AND ACCESSORIES REVEALED NO EVIDENCE OF PRE-IMPACT MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION/DIFFICULTY. THE ENGINE PERFORMED SATISFACTORILY DURING A SUBSEQUENT RUN-UP. INVESTIGATORS DRAINED 7.5 GALLONS OF 80/87 OCTANE AVIATION FUEL FROM EACH OF TWO FUEL TANKS; THE AIRCRAFT HAS A 'NO TAKEOFF' VALUE OF 6.75 GALLONS OR LESS. THIS VALUE WAS ESTABLISHED BECAUSE OF THE POSITIONING OF THE FUEL TANK OUTLETS AND THE RESULTANT POSSIBILITY OF FUEL FLOW INTERRUPTION IN VARIOUS FLIGHT ATTITUDES.
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; instructor: glider; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 2,970 hours in all; 26 in this make and model; 45 in the last 90 days; 16 in the last 30 days; 2,761 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,877 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 1, 1988; 142 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,100 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-11B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 69G Gregory MI at 5:00 pm
- Destination: 69G Gregory MI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 2,500 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 5 knots, gusting 10
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.