| Crash location | Unknown |
| Nearest city | Sunfield, MI
42.762257°N, 84.992496°W |
| Tail number | N6448V |
|---|---|
| Accident date | 31 Jan 2001 |
| Aircraft type | Cessna 172RG |
| Additional details: | None |
On January 31, 2001, at 1300 eastern standard time, a Cessna 172RG, N6448V, was substantially damaged during takeoff when the left main gear encountered slush on the runway and the airplane hit a snowbank on the left side of the runway and tipped up on the right wing. The 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight was departing from runway 27 (3,000 feet by 50 feet, grass, wet) at the Frank Voshell private airstrip near Sunfield, Michigan, with the Hastings Airport (9D9), Hastings, Michigan, as the final destination. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident and no flight plan was filed.
The pilot reported, "...the left main gear encountered slushy snow, pulling the plane to the left into a snowbank along left side of runway, pulling the plane into the deeper snow, tipping the plane down and to the right damaging the prop and right wing tip."
The pilot's inadequate preflight preparation and the unsuitable terrain for takeoff encountered. Factors included the slushy runway and the snowbank.