- Date
- April 2, 1982, 16:12 local (21:12 UTC)
- Place
- Hampstead, NH
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N21869Cessna 172
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 2, 1983
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19820402007759A
- Case key
- 70948
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
Several witnesses observed the plane circling at low altitude before it crashed. A friend of the pilot reported that thepilot waved, gunned his engine a couple of times and waggled his tail. Witnesses stated that after making several circles at an altitude of 100 to 200 ft, the aircraft suddenly pitched down and crashed into a wooded area. The pilot was ejected from the aircraft and received fatal injuries when he struck a tree. His seat belt was found unlatched.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N21869
- Reported as
- Cessna 172
- Category
- Airplane
- Airframe hours
- 1,016
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2D, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Aldrich Sawyer
- Registered owner
- Aldrich Sawyer
- Departed
- Haverhill, MA
- Destination
- Haverhill, MA
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
- 63
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 850 in this make and model · 950 as pilot in command · 10 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 340° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 40 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 113 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.