Cessna 172SP!

If you still have the FS2004 CD's - you can reload the a/c from there, although I wouldn't think that the deletion of one a/c would cause FS9 not to open - unless it is because that a/c is the default opener.

I don't remember which disk it's on but you can go through them and pick it off so you can get the default aircraft back.
You can go to the folder in "My Documents" and click on the last flight icon, if you still have one.
That will launch the sim, then make that aircraft the default flight.

If U can tell the name of the file I can send it to U with Messenger

Here is what i do when i loose an AC,I have both 2K2 and FS9.
installed in my PC.
If I lost an AC in FS9 I would Just go to 2K2 and copy it and past it in to the FS9 AC folder.
If you were NOT LOGED IN in here as a guest I could have sent you a zipped folder of the AC you lost but as GUEST THERE IS NO WAY TO GET YOUR ADDRESS TO SENT YOU ANYTHING.
It appears to me that Th's standard aircraft are the same in both games.I really like the mini panels better in the 2K2 on some AC,

I believe that the Cessna 172 is the default opening aircraft in FS9. Maybe you "killed" the one aircraft that the sim needs to open. 😞