Cessna 170B accident near Karlin, MI
On July 5, 1997, a Cessna 170B (airplane) was involved in an accident near Karlin, MI. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- July 5, 1997
- Place
- Karlin, MI
- Aircraft
- Cessna 170B · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 44.640°N, 85.830°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001208X08315
NTSB summary
On July 4, 1997, at 2100 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 170B, N2416D, piloted by a commercial pilot, was destroyed during a collision with two overhead ground wires of an electrical power transmission lines, the ground and post-impact fire. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight was not operating on a flight plan. The pilot and passenger were fatally injured. The flight departed from Interlochen, Michigan, exact time unknown. One witness, located about 3/4-mile from the accident site, reported seeing the airplane flying between 150 and 300 feet above the ground. This witness said he heard the engine "...sputtering and running roughly, ... making [an] erratic noise until the point that it disappeared," according to the Grand Traverse County Sheriff s Department report. Another witness said she saw "...the airplane, come in low over my house, just above the trees. The airplane made a second pass, [and] on the third pass... the airplane pulled straight up, recovered to level flight and departed... ." Two other witnesses said they saw the airplane flying in their area. One said she saw the airplane "...doing... spins." She said the airplane did a "...spin and leveled off at tree top level... ." The third witness said, "...as the airplane passed across the front of [his] house he would estimate [the airplane s] height to be well under a 100 feet." He said the engine was "...not sputtering, but appeared to be functioning properly... ." Based on a Wolverine Power Supply Company of Cadillac, Michigan, statement, N
Probable cause
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.
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Browse: Michigan · Cessna aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
