Cessna 170B accident near Grand Ledge, Michigan, March 8, 1999
On March 8, 1999 at about 3:00 pm local time, a Cessna 170B, registered N432W, was substantially damaged in an accident near Grand Ledge, Michigan (Abrams Municipal Airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the flight instructor's failure to successfully take remedial action to maintain directional control of the airplane during the landing roll out. Factors were the crosswinds and snowbank.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 8, 1999 · about 3:00 pm local time
- Place
- Grand Ledge, Michigan · Abrams Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 170B · all 170Bs on the register
- Registration
- N432W · no longer on the register · serial 20325
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The instructor pilot stated that after take off from Runway 9 he reduced power to simulate a rough running engine. He reported that the student turned the airplane back to Runway 27 and landed. He said that during the roll out, a sudden and unexpected gust of wind from the south turned the aircraft to the left. The student said that the airplane impacted a snowbank off the south side of the runway and nosed over.
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; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 9,000 hours in all; 30 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,100 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 1, 1998; 9 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,050 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O300-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 4D0 at 2:30 pm
- Destination: 4D0
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 3,200 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 23,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 21°F (-6°C), dew point 12°F (-11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:55 pm from LAN, 6 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 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.
Other NTSB records under N432W the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.