Beech 95-C55 accident near Grand Haven, Michigan, April 21, 1997
On April 21, 1997 at about 1:05 am local time, a Beech 95-C55, registered N242BS, was destroyed in an accident near Grand Haven, Michigan. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
undetermined.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 21, 1997 · about 1:05 am local time
- Place
- Grand Haven, Michigan · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 95-C55 · all 95-C55s on the register
- Registration
- N242BS · registry record · serial TE-156
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight was observed on radar to descend from 10,000 feet msl until radar contact was lost at about 3,000 feet msl. This location was approximately 13 miles west of Grand Haven, Michigan, over Lake Michigan. Debris was located in that general area on the surface of the lake. The airplane was presumed to have been destroyed. The pilot and one passenger were presumed to have sustained fatal injuries. There was no forecast for IFR conditions, severe weather warnings, or warnings for ice or turbulence along the route of flight. The pilot stated during a briefing that the airplane contained four hours of fuel. There were no distress calls recorded from the airplane. The airplane remained missing.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 440 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,507 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 25, 1996
- Maximum gross weight: 4,880 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-C (piston); 0 hours total
- Not recorded
The flight
- Departed from: 5D8 Marshall MI
- Destination: MDZ Medford WI
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 250° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 9,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
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 CHI97FAMS2.