Cessna 152 accident near Mount Pleasant, Michigan, May 26, 1996
On May 26, 1996 at about 4:30 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N68610, was destroyed in an accident near Mount Pleasant, Michigan (Mount Pleasant Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
loss of aircraft control by the pilot, due to cardiac arrest (heart attack).
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 26, 1996 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Mount Pleasant, Michigan · Mount Pleasant Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N68610 · no longer on the register · serial 15282318
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane crashed in an area that corresponded to the base leg of the traffic pattern to an uncontrolled airport. Three witness, who observed the airplane just before impact, said that it was at low altitude with slow airspeed, when it entered a steep descent and crashed. None of the three witnesses heard the sound of the engine, although all three were in vehicles when the accident occurred. Both the pilot and the passenger were fatally injured during the accident. Examination of the wreckage revealed no preimpact anomalies with the airplane. Examination of the propeller revealed evidence of rotational damage during impact. According to a medical examiner, the pilot 'had significant heart disease, suggestive of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, which can be associated with sudden death.'
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 104 hours in all; 103 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 41 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,963 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 25, 1996; 58 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PTK Pontiac MI at 4:00 pm
- Destination: MOP
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 9, 5,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 12,000 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:45 pm from MBS, 30 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.