Cessna 650 accident near Manistee, Michigan, March 4, 1998
On March 4, 1998 at about 2:07 pm local time, a Cessna 650, registered N502T, was substantially damaged in an accident near Manistee, Michigan (Manistee County-Blacker airport). It was an executive or corporate flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 9 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilots excessive airspeed during landing, exceeding the proper touchdown point, and failure to execute a missed approach.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 4, 1998 · about 2:07 pm local time
- Place
- Manistee, Michigan · Manistee County-Blacker · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 9 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 650 · all 650s on the register
- Registration
- N502T · registry record · serial 7067
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Executive or corporate flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane touched down approximately 3,100 to 3,200 feet down the 5,502-foot-long runway. It continued off the end of the runway where the nose gear collapsed puncturing the pressure bulkhead. The AWOS report received by the flightcrew during the approach reported the weather at the airport as partially obscured with a 200 foot broken ceiling. Minimum descent altitude for the approach was 441 feet with weather minimums of a 500 foot ceiling and 1 1/4 mile visibility. The flight data recorder shows the airplane touched down at an airspeed of 138 knots. The crew called out a Vref during the approach of 132 knots.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 11,955 hours in all; 758 in this make and model; 111 in the last 90 days; 24 in the last 30 days; 8,835 as pilot in command; 2,335 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,166 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, November 20, 1997; 189 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 22,450 lb
- Seats: 9
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Garrett TFE-731 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: UGN Waukegan IL at 1:37 pm
- Destination: MBL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 9, 5,502 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,100 ft; scat at 200 ft
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:57 pm from MBL
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 7 |
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.