# Accident 19971026030919A: Cessna 172E, Elkton, VA, October 26, 1997

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: October 26, 1997
- Place: Elkton, VA
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Location: 38.4107° N, 78.6098° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=38.4107&lon=-78.6098&mi=10
- Aircraft: N3097U, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N3097U-2015-04-30) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cessna 172E (registry code 2072412, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-172e) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Continental 0-300 series (registry code 17022, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-0-300-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB NYC98FA020](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC98FA020) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19971026030919A

## Narrative

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

ACFT CRASHED INTO TREES UNK CIRC, PILOT SUFFERED FATAL INJ ACFT HAS SUBSTANTIAL, ELKTON, VA

## 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 NYC98FA020](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC98FA020), Oct 26, 1997: Cessna 172E (N3097U), Elkton, VA, destroyed, 1 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's intention VFR flight into instrument meteorological conditions. Contributing factors were clouds and mountainous/hilly 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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