Cessna 188 accident near Greenville, Michigan, September 8, 1995
On September 8, 1995 at about 10:10 pm local time, a Cessna 188, registered N5623J, was destroyed in an accident near Greenville, Michigan. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
pilot incapacitation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 8, 1995 · about 10:10 pm local time
- Place
- Greenville, Michigan · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 188 · all 188s on the register
- Registration
- N5623J · no longer on the register · serial 18800573
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane lifted off runway 18 beyond a point where witnesses were accustomed to seeing it lift off. Shortly after liftoff the airplane began striking trees along its flight path and descended onto the ground. The on-scene examination revealed a chemical dump on the runway about 130 feet north of the runway's departure end. The pilot's autopsy report showed myocarditis of the heart's left ventricle. It also showed hardening of the kidney's arteries. The pathologist's report stated the myocarditis may have caused an arhythmia which might have caused the pilot to lose consciousness. The FAA's toxicological report showed an unstated amount of norpropoxyphene in the urine sample.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,200 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,366 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: RLA MI at 11:10 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 11:10 pm from 6D6, 1 miles away
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.