Cessna 150 accident near Port Huron, Michigan, June 18, 1989
On June 18, 1989 at about 7:30 pm local time, a Cessna 150, registered N8752S, was destroyed in an accident near Port Huron, Michigan (St Clair County airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
IMPROPER IN-FLIGHT PLANNING/DECISION BY THE STUDENT PILOT AND HIS INADVERTENT ENCOUNTER WITH WAKE TURBULENCE FROM THE TRANSPORT AIRCRAFT. THE STUDENT'S LACK OF TOTAL EXPERIENCE WAS CONSIDERED A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 18, 1989 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- Port Huron, Michigan · St Clair County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150 · all 150s on the register
- Registration
- N8752S · no longer on the register · serial 15062052
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ACCORDING TO A WITNESS, THE STUDENT PLT WAS ON AN APCH TO LAND & WAS FOLLOWING A JUNKER JU-52 (A GERMAN, WORLD WAR II, TRI-MOTOR, TRANSPORT PLANE). THE WITNESS ESTIMATED THE STUDENT'S ACFT (A CESSNA 150) WAS APRX 1/4 MI BEHIND THE JU-52. THE JU-52 TOUCHED DOWN ON THE FIRST 1/3 OF THE RWY. AS THE CESSNA WAS ABOUT TO LAND, IT WAS AT APRX 20 TO 50 FT AGL, WHEN IT BANKED RAPIDLY FROM SIDE TO SIDE, THE NOSE PITCHED, & THEN THE PLANE CRASHED. THE STUDENT'S INSTRUCTOR & SOME WITNESSES SUSPECTED THE CESSNA HAD ENCOUNTERED WAKE TURBULENCE FROM THE JU-52.
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: 102 hours in all; 97 in this make and model; 13 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days; 38 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,634 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 9, 1989; 68 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Phn Air INC
The flight
- Departed from: PTK Pontiac MI at 6:30 pm
- Destination: PHN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 22, 5,105 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,500 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:55 pm from MTC, 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.