Cessna 177 accident near Manistique, Michigan, October 1, 1989
On October 1, 1989 at about 3:08 pm local time, a Cessna 177, registered N102AT, was destroyed in an accident near Manistique, Michigan (Schoolcraft County airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A DELAYED BY THE PILOT IN GOING AROUND AND HIS FAILURE TO OBTAIN ADEQUATE AIRSPEED BEFORE FULLY RETRACTING THE FLAPS, WHICH ALLOWED THE AIRCRAFT TO MUSH. THE CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WERE: THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO ATTAIN THE PROPER TOUCHDOWN POINT DURING THE LANDING AND THE TRANSMISSION WIRE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 1, 1989 · about 3:08 pm local time
- Place
- Manistique, Michigan · Schoolcraft County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 177 · all 177s on the register
- Registration
- N102AT · registry record · serial 17701283
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER LANDING LONG, THE PLT ELECTED TO GO-AROUND. HE RETRACTED THE FLAPS TO FULL UP & THE ACFT STOPPED CLIMBING & STARTED SETTLING WITH THE STALL WARNING HORN SOUNDING. THE PLT OBSERVED WIRES IN HIS FLT PATH & ROTATED THE PLANE TO AN ATTITUDE WHICH WOULD ALLOW THE WIRE TO STRIKE THE ACFT'S BELLY, RATHER THAN ACROSS THE WINDSHIELD. AFTER THE WIRE STRIKE, THE ACFT DESCENDED OUT OF CONTROL & COLLIDED WITH THE TERRAIN. ACCORDING TO THE GO-AROUND PROCEDURE IN THE FLT MANUAL, THE FLAPS SHOULD HAVE BEEN RETRACTED TO ONLY 20 DEG UNTIL THE ACFT HAD ACCELERATED TO 75 MPH, THEN FURTHER FLAP RETRACTION SHOULD HAVE BEEN PERFORMED SLOWLY.
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: 276 hours in all; 10 in this make and model; 8 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 89 as pilot in command; 73 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,873 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 22, 1988; 65 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,500 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A1F (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Kodiak Flying Club
The flight
- Departed from: GYG Greyling MI at 1:55 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 19, 2,500 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 3:08 pm from ISQ, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CHI90LA001.