Cessna 172P accident near Marquette, Michigan, November 23, 1991
On November 23, 1991 at about 2:30 am local time, a Cessna 172P, registered N96147, was destroyed in an accident near Marquette, Michigan. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries; 2 others were unhurt. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FLIGHT INTO KNOWN ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS BY THE PILOT, WHICH RESULTED IN AIRFRAME (WING) ICING AND THE INABILITY TO MAINTAIN ALTITUDE. THE ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS AND DARKNESS WERE RELATED FACTORS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 23, 1991 · about 2:30 am local time
- Place
- Marquette, Michigan · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries; 2 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172P · all 172Ps on the register
- Registration
- N96147 · no longer on the register · serial 17276030
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRLINE TRANSPORT PILOT DEPARTED AT NIGHT IN A FOUR SEAT AIRPLANE WITH A TOTAL OF FIVE PEOPLE. HIS PREFLIGHT WEATHER BRIEFING NOTED IMC ALONG HIS ROUTE OF FLIGHT ASSOCIATED WITH A COLD FRONT. FLIGHT PRECAUTIONS WERE ISSUED BY THE BRIEFER FOR MODERATE RIME AND MIXED ICING ALONG THE ENTIRE ROUTE OF FLIGHT. HE ELECTED TO DEPART VFR AND AIR-FILED AN INSTRUMENT FLIGHT PLAN. HE RECEIVED SEVERAL INFLIGHT WEATHER BRIEFINGS GIVING LOW IFR CONDITIONS AT HIS DESTINATION AND SURFACE TEMPERATURES JUST ABOVE FREEZING. HE ELECTED TO CONTINUE THE FLIGHT AND THE AIRPLANE BEGAN TO COLLECT ICE. HE WAS UNABLE TO MAINTAIN ALTITUDE DUE TO THE ICE ACCRETION AND ULTIMATELY DESCENDED INTO TREES AND TERRAIN. THE AIRPLANE WAS NOT CERTIFICATED FOR FLIGHT INTO ICING CONDITIONS, AND WAS NOT FITTED WITH ANY AIRFOIL/PROPELLER DEICE OR ANTI-ICING EQUIPMENT.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 15,686 hours in all; 300 in this make and model; 80 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 15,686 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 30, 1991; 32 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2J (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Baldwin Aircraft
The flight
- Departed from: PWK Wheeling IL
- Destination: MQT Marquette MI
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 010° at 10 knots, gusting 16
- Sky: broken clouds at 100 ft
- Temperature: 34°F (1°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:55 am from SAW, 15 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 | 2 |
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.