# Accident 19941009034209A: Cessna 172N, Fancy Cap, VA, October 9, 1994

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: October 9, 1994, 10:10 local time
- Place: Fancy Cap, VA
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Normal Cruise
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 36.6603° N, 80.6997° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=36.6603&lon=-80.6997&mi=10
- Aircraft: N734NB, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N734NB-1995-05-10) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cessna 172N (registry code 2072434, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-172n) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 172N
- Reported engine: LYC O320*
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB BFO95FA001](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/BFO95FA001) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19941009034209A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

AIRCRAFT CRASHED IN A WOODED AREA. (.4)THE STUDENT PILOT WAS ON A RETURN VFR FLIGHT AFTER VISITING FAMILY RELATIVES WHEN THE AIRCRAFT ENCOUNTERED INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS AND COLLIDED WITH TREES IN MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN.  THERE WERE NO WITNESSES WHO SAW THE CRASH; HOWEVER, SEVERAL WITNESSES IN THE AREA REPORTED SEEING AN AIRPLANE FLYING IN AND OUT OF CLOUDS, AND ALONG AN INTERSTATE HIGHWAY.  THE WEATHER WAS DESCRIBED AS FOG AND RAIN.  ACCORDING TO THE OWNER, THE PILOT WAS NOT AUTHORIZED TO USE THE AIRPLANE.  FAA RECORDS INDICATE THE PILOT WAS LAST ISSUED A THIRD CLASS MEDICAL CERTIFICATE IN JULY 1989 AT WHICH TIME THE PILOT REPORTED 23 HOURS OF TOTAL FLIGHT TIME.  THE EXAMINATION OF THE WRECKAGE DID NOT DISCLOSE EVIDENCE OF PREACCIDENT MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB BFO95FA001](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/BFO95FA001), Oct 9, 1994: Cessna 172N (N734NB), Fancy Gap, VA, destroyed, 1 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's inadequate inflight planning and his failure to maintain adequate terrain clearance. Other related factors are: fog, rain, VFR flight into IMC, inexperience and mountainous terrain.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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