Cessna 172I accident near Kalamazoo, Michigan, November 21, 1993
On November 21, 1993 at about 7:30 am local time, a Cessna 172I, registered N35549, was destroyed in an accident near Kalamazoo, Michigan. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
UNDETERMINED.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 21, 1993 · about 7:30 am local time
- Place
- Kalamazoo, Michigan · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172I · all 172Is on the register
- Registration
- N35549 · no longer on the register · serial 17256827
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRCRAFT WAS OBSERVED TO DEPART THE AIRPORT AT APPROXIMATELY 0230 ON NOVEMBER 21, 1993. NEITHER THE AIRPLANE NOR THE PILOT HAVE BEEN LOCATED SINCE THAT TIME. AT THE TIME OF DEPARTURE THE CHICAGO AIR ROUTE TRAFFIC CONTROL CENTER'S RADAR RECORDING EQUIPMENT WAS TEMPORARILY OUT OF SERVICE. THE RECORDER RETURNED TO SERVICE AT 0347. AT 0410 A TARGET LOCATED 60 MILES EAST OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, OVER LAKE MICHIGAN, WAS RECORDED BY RADAR TO DESCEND FROM 7,500 FEET MEAN SEA LEVEL (MSL) AND DISAPPEAR FROM RADAR AT 2,500 FEET MSL WHILE MAKING FIVE 360 DEGREE TURNS. THE RADAR TARGET WAS NOT IDENTIFIED AS THE MISSING AIRPLANE. THE INJURY AND AIRCRAFT DAMAGE CLASSIFICATIONS ABOVE ARE PRESUMED.
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: 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: 1,100 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: MKE Milwaukee WI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 210° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 12,000 ft
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:50 am from GRR
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.