Cessna 414 accident near Gaylord, Michigan, January 19, 1992
On January 19, 1992 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Cessna 414, registered N6814R, was substantially damaged in an accident near Gaylord, Michigan (Otsego CO. airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
DIRECTIONAL CONTROL WAS NOT MAINTAINED BY THE PILOT. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: AIRPORT SNOW REMOVAL HAD NOT BEEN PERFORMED BY THE AIRPORT PERSONNEL, A DARK NIGHT WITH FALLING SNOW AND THE SNOWBANK ON THE RUNWAY.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 19, 1992 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Gaylord, Michigan · Otsego CO. · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 414 · all 414s on the register
- Registration
- N6814R · registry record · serial 414A0638
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRPLANE COLLIDED WITH A SNOW DRIFT ON THE RUNWAY DURING TAKEOFF. THE TAKEOFF WAS AT NIGHT DURING A LIGHT SNOW FALL. AFTER COLLIDING WITH THE SNOW DRIFT, THE AIRPLANE VEERED OFF THE LEFT SIDE OF THE RUNWAY AND CONTACTED ROUGH TERRAIN.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 13,397 hours in all; 568 in this make and model; 114 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 13,250 as pilot in command; 5,406 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, January 2, 2000
- Maximum gross weight: 6,350 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-NB (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: OSU Columbus OH
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 27, 5,000 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 160° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded at 600 ft; not recorded at 600 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 9:57 pm from GLR, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| 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.
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.