Cessna 172N accident near Mackinac Island, Michigan, May 24, 1994
On May 24, 1994 at about 3:25 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N3558E, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mackinac Island, Michigan (Ackinac Island airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
Preview. This page is not yet listed for search engines.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
EXCESSIVE AIRSPEED AND A FAILURE TO ATTAIN THE PROPER TOUCHDOWN POINT ON THE RUNWAY. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE THE WET RUNWAY AND THE FENCE WHICH WAS CONTACTED.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 24, 1994 · about 3:25 pm local time
- Place
- Mackinac Island, Michigan · Ackinac Island · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N3558E · registry record · serial 17271586
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT RETURNED TO THE AIRPORT AFTER DISCOVERING HE HAD FORGOTTEN HIS APPROACH PLATES. THE PILOT MADE A FAST APPROACH AND LANDED LONG SO AN AIRPLANE BEHIND HIM COULD LAND. THE AIRPLANE TRAVELED OFF THE END OF THE WET RUNWAY AND COLLIDED WITH A FENCE.
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 single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,885 hours in all; 200 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 1,685 as pilot in command; 550 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,525 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 28, 1994; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: 6D6 Greenville MI
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 26, 3,501 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 6,000 ft; not recorded at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:37 pm from Y84
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
Other NTSB records under N3558E the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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 docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site 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 CHI94LA171.