Cessna 150M accident near Corunna, Michigan, March 22, 1989
On March 22, 1989 at about 7:30 pm local time, a Cessna 150M, registered N66688, was destroyed in an accident near Corunna, Michigan. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE FAILURE OF THE STUDENT PILOT TO MAINTAIN SUFFICIENT ALTITUDE TO RECOVER FROM A PRACTICE STALL MANEUVER. A FACTOR RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WAS: THE PILOT'S VISUAL PERCEPTION OVER SNOW COVERED TERRAIN.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 22, 1989 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- Corunna, Michigan · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150M · all 150Ms on the register
- Registration
- N66688 · no longer on the register · serial 15076211
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AS THE STUDENT PILOT WAS PRACTICING STALLS, THE AIRCRAFT ENTERED A DESCENT & COLLIDED WITH SNOW COVERED TERRAIN. NO KNOWN WITNESSES SAW THE AIRCRAFT BEFORE IT IMPACTED THE GROUND, BUT A MOTORIST SAW A PLUME OF SNOW. WHEN HE INVESTIGATED THE OCCURRENCE, HE DISCOVERED THE PLANE HAD CRASHED. THE PLT WAS STILL ALIVE & STRAPPED IN THE AIRCRAFT. HE RPRTD TO PARAMEDICS, 'IT WAS MY FAULT, I WAS PRACTICING STALL . . .' LATER, HE SUCCUMBED TO HIS INJURIES.
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: student
- Flight time: 36 hours in all; 36 in this make and model; 11 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 10 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,142 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 25, 1988; 85 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 3DA Flushing MI at 6:25 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 12°F (-11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:48 pm from LAN, 23 miles away
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.