- Date
- November 24, 1987, 05:40 local (10:40 UTC)
- Place
- Blanchester, OH
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N5548JCessna 172N
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report May 7, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19871124067759A
- Case key
- 7566
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The aircraft departed before dawn from a private sod airstrip owned by the pilot, and collided with trees shortly thereafter. The pilot's wife said that the airstrip was not foggy when her husband took off, but the witness reported that the fog at the accident site prevented the sheriff's department from locating the wreckage, 100 yards from the witness' house, until about 0700. The nearest station reported IMC conditions. The pilot did not receive a weather briefing. The investigation failed to disclose any aircraft system malfunction or failure. The pilot was properly certificated and instrument rated. The pilot's intentions were not known. However, he was flying towards the approach end of his airstrip. An autopsy, taken with medical history of the pilot, indicates that some physical problem may have prompted the pilot to attempt to land immediately.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5548J
- Reported as
- Cessna 172N
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 172-73817
- Airframe hours
- 1,218
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-H2AD, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Raymond R. Hill
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 19, 1987
- Departed
- Blanchester, OH
- Destination
- BAK · Columbus, IN
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 51
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Expired
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 1,447 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Temperature
- 41 °F, dew point 41 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- LUK
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.