Cessna 172P accident near Sebewaing, Michigan, March 20, 1988
On March 20, 1988 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172P, registered N66717, was substantially damaged in an accident near Sebewaing, Michigan (Sebewaing 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
- March 20, 1988 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Sebewaing, Michigan · Sebewaing · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172P · all 172Ps on the register
- Registration
- N66717 · registry record · serial 17275991
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT RPRTD THAT WHEN HE LANDED, THE ACFT BOUNCED TWICE & WENT STRAIGHT FORWARD FOR ABOUT 200 FT. WHEN HE APPLIED BRAKES, THE ACFT VEERED TO THE LEFT. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT WENT OFF THE RUNWAY & INTO A DITCH WHERE THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED. THE PLT BELIEVED THE LEFT BRAKE LOCKED UP WHEN HE APPLIED BRAKES, BUT NO BRAKE FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION WAS FOUND.
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: 1,226 hours in all; 43 in this make and model; 3 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,184 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 4, 1987; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2J (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Emu Flying Club
The flight
- Departed from: YIP Detroit MI at 8:40 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 2,178 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 320° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 27 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,500 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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 N66717 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.