- Date
- September 5, 1987, 12:00 local (16:00 UTC)
- Place
- Cabin, WV
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 2 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N65721Cessna 172P
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 16, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 11292
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 plt was on a VFR flight at 4500 ft MSL over a mountainous area when he encountered lowering clouds. The plt descended to stay below the clouds; however, he inadvertently entered the clouds. Afterwards he tried to turn around and as he did so, according to one of the survivors who was the plts wife, trees appeared into view followed by a tree strike. The acft came to rest near the top of a mountain at about 3500 ft. the ELT activated. Search and rescue personnel reached the accident site about 23 hrs later.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N65721
- Reported as
- Cessna 172P
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 172-75834
- Airframe hours
- 1,479
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-D2J, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- York Aero Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · July 24, 1987 · 89 hours before
- Departed
- THV · York, PA
- Destination
- EKN · Elkin, WV
- Flight plan
- VFR
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
- 41
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 188 total · 8 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 150° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 6 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 4,100 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 63 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Observed at
- EKN, 28 nm away