- Date
- February 16, 1987, 16:30 local (23:30 UTC)
- Place
- Carrizozo, NM
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N1741FCessna 172H
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 25, 1988
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19870216002739A
- Case key
- 17170
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.
In flight encounter with weather
Weather condition - cloudsFactor
Vfr flight into imc - inadvertentCause
Lack of recent instrument timeFactor
Preflight briefing service - not obtainedCause
Weather evaluation - not performedCause
In flight collision with terrain/water
Terrain condition - mountainous/hillyFactor
Analysis
The acft entered clouds over mountainous terrain. The plt's next visual contact was a mountain in his flt path. During maneuvering to avoid a crash the acft struck rough terrain and nosed over.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1741F
- Reported as
- Cessna 172H
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17255136
- Airframe hours
- 4,839
- Engine
- Continental O-300-D, 145 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Eugene B. Plunkett
- Registered owner
- Eugene B. Plunkett
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 1, 1986 · 36 hours before
- Departed
- Q37 · Carrizozo, NM
- Destination
- ABQ · Albuquerque, NM
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 53
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 352 total · 44 in this make and model · 319 as pilot in command · 15 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 1 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 4,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 34 °F, dew point 30 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- RUI, 48 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.