Cessna 170B accident near Karlin, Michigan, July 5, 1997
On July 5, 1997 at about 2:00 am local time, a Cessna 170B, registered N2416D, was destroyed in an accident near Karlin, Michigan. 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
the pilot's impairment of judgment and performance due to alcohol, his resultant improper planning/decision, and his inadequate visual lookout while buzzing, which resulted in failure to see-and-avoid the top (ground/static) wires of an electrical power line.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 5, 1997 · about 2:00 am local time
- Place
- Karlin, Michigan · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 170B · all 170Bs on the register
- Registration
- N2416D · registry record · serial 20568
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Witnesses observed the airplane flying at low altitude. One witness said the pilot made 3 low passes over or near her home. She said the airplane '...pulled straight up...' and eventually leveled off during the third pass. Another witness observed the airplane pass by the front of (his) house below 100 feet AGL. He said the engine was not sputtering and '...appeared to be functioning properly.' Subsequently, the airplane struck the top (ground) wires of a high tension electrical power line. Shortly after the collision, it impacted a dirt road beneath the wires and began burning. An on-scene examination revealed no anomalies with the flight controls or engine that would have prevented flight. Two ground wires were entangled in the wreckage. Toxicology tests detected ethanol in the pilot's blood at a level of 141.000 mg/dL (0.141%) and in the vitreous fluid at 163 mg/dl (0.163%). Testing also detected tetrahydrocannabinol carboxylic acid (an inactive metabolite of marijuana) in the pilot's blood at a level of 0.002 mcg/ml.
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
- Flight time: 487 hours in all; 10 in this make and model; 413 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,940 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 24, 1997
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: Y88 Interlochen MI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 290° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 21,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:40 am from TVC, 12 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.