- Date
- September 3, 1987, 19:00 local (23:00 UTC)
- Place
- Tappahannock, VA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N78505Cessna 172
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 7, 1988
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19870903080569A
- Case key
- 11337
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 acft was at 1500 MSL when a 300 RPM loss of power occurred. The plt sighted a private landing strip and he decided to make a precautionary landing on it. During the landing roll on the 62 ft wide grass strip the l wing struck corn stalks in an adjacent cornfield. The plt experienced a loss of control followed by the acft veering to the left and into the cornfield. Examination of the acft did not reveal evidence of malfunction. Conditions were conductive for carburetor icing.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N78505
- Reported as
- Cessna 172
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17257642
- Airframe hours
- 4,014
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-320-E2D, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- John Mcdonald
- Registered owner
- John Mcdonald
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 16, 1987 · 44 hours before
- Departed
- W79
- Destination
- RIC · Richmond, VA
- Airport
- Private
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
- 38
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 350 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 90° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- RIC, 30 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.