Cessna 172P accident near Boyne City, Michigan, September 4, 1988
On September 4, 1988 at about 3:57 pm local time, a Cessna 172P, registered N52601, was destroyed in an accident near Boyne City, Michigan. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured. 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 4, 1988 · about 3:57 pm local time
- Place
- Boyne City, Michigan · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172P · all 172Ps on the register
- Registration
- N52601 · no longer on the register · serial 17274561
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT AND HIS PASSENGER WERE FLYING LOW OVER A SAILBOAT REGATTA TO PHOTOGRAPH SAILBOATS. AS THE PILOT MANEUVERED FOR A PHOTOGRAPH, HE THROTTLED BACK AND BANKED THE AIRCRAFT IN A STEEP BANK. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE AIRCRAFT STALLED AND THERE WAS INSUFFICIENT ALTITUDE TO RECOVER. THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED THE WATER IN A LEFT WING LOW, NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE AND SANK ALMOST IMMEDIATELY. THE PASSENGER ESCAPED WITH SERIOUS INJURIES. HE TRIED TO HELP THE PILOT, BUT THE PILOT RECEIVED A HEAD INJURY, WHICH WAS FATAL. APRX 23 MI NNE AT PELLSTON, MI, THE 1152 EDT WX WAS IN PART: ESTD 700' OVC, VIS 3 MI WITH LIGHT RAIN SHOWERS & FOG. WINDS IN THE AREA WERE RPRTD TO BE VARIABLE.
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: 712 hours in all; 12 in this make and model; 74 in the last 90 days; 671 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,200 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 5, 1988; 90 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2J (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: D87 Harbor Springs MI at 3:40 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 10 knots
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 700 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:52 pm from PLN, 23 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.
Other NTSB records under N52601 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.