Cessna 120 accident near Brooklyn, Michigan, August 31, 1989
On August 31, 1989 at about 7:45 pm local time, a Cessna 120, registered N2101V, was destroyed in an accident near Brooklyn, Michigan (Kline Aviation airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO SEE-AND-AVOID POWER LINES IN HIS FLIGHT PATH DURING A GO-AROUND. THE POWER LINES AND HIS LACK OF FAMILIARITY WITH THE AIRPORT WERE CONTRIBUTING FACTORS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 31, 1989 · about 7:45 pm local time
- Place
- Brooklyn, Michigan · Kline Aviation · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 120 · all 120s on the register
- Registration
- N2101V · registry record · serial 14326
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE STUDENT PLT RPRTD HE FLEW THE ACFT TO BROOKLYN, MI, ON A PERSONAL FLT. HE STATED THAT DRG THE LANDING, THE WIND DISPLACED THE ACFT 'OFF COURSE A LITTLE,' SO HE MADE A GO-AROUND. DRG THE GO-AROUND, THE ACFT STRUCK A WIRE WHICH THE PLT DID NOT SEE. THE ACFT THEN CRASHED & WAS SUBSEQUENTLY DEMOLISHED BY FIRE.
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
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 97 hours in all; 1 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 1,450 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-85-12 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: Michigan Center MI at 7:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 1,200 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.