Cessna 172M accident near Brooklyn, Michigan, July 26, 1998
On July 26, 1998 at about 1:58 pm local time, a Cessna 172M, registered N1461V, was substantially damaged in an accident near Brooklyn, Michigan (Shamrock Field). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The proper touchdown point was not attained and the visual lookout not being maintained by the pilot-in-command. Contributing factors to the accident were the unmarked static and transmission wires.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 26, 1998 · about 1:58 pm local time
- Place
- Brooklyn, Michigan · Shamrock Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N1461V · no longer on the register · serial 17263598
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A witness reported seeing the aircraft touch down about midfield on the Runway 01 (2,822 ft x 100 ft, turf). Approximately 600 ft from the runway end, the pilot attempted a go-around. The witness then saw the flaps being retracted when the aircraft passed over the road and it appeared the aircraft appeared to struggle while trying to get over the high tension power lines, but went between the top ground wire and the next wire down. The aircraft was banking to the right and caught the right wing tip on the second wire. The propeller surfaces had chord wise scratching and gouging with burnishing of the leading edges of both blades. One blade of the propeller exhibited S-shaped bending. Aileron, elevator and rudder flight control continuity was established. The unmarked power static and transmission lines were located 1/4 mile north of the departure end of the runway. The transmission lines had a height of 102 feet.
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: 685 hours in all; 6 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 673 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,017 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 17, 1998; 7 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: ONZ Gross Ile MI
- Destination: 6GB
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 1, 2,822 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,500 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 pm from JXN, 14 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.