Cessna 172N accident near Greenville, Michigan, July 20, 1999
On July 20, 1999, a Cessna 172N, registered N3558E, was substantially damaged in an accident near Greenville, Michigan (Greenville Municipal airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
Preview. This page is not yet listed for search engines.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the student pilot's inadequate use of the rudder which resulted in a loss of directional control during an aborted landing. A factor associated with the accident was the student's lack of total experience and the segmented circle which the airplane contacted.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 20, 1999
- Place
- Greenville, Michigan · Greenville Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N3558E · registry record · serial 17271586
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student reported this was his second solo flight. He reported the landing was normal up until it felt like the airplane ballooned. He reported, 'In reality very little if I had continued to bleed off the speed with the yoke I would have been fine.' However, he reported that he decided to perform a go-around during which he failed to use right rudder. The airplane traveled off the side of the runway where it contacted a segmented circle. The pilot stated he could have avoided the accident by not performing a go-around in this case, using right rudder during the go-around, continuing to fly the airplane, and straightening the nose during landing.
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: student
- Flight time: 23 hours in all; 23 in this make and model; 1 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 1 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,018 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 24, 1999
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 6D6
- Destination: 6D6
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 9, 3,700 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,300 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:56 pm from GRR, 23 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Other NTSB records under N3558E the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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 CHI99LA245.