Cessna 172N N5738J
20 April 1991 · Dunlap, Tennessee, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 20 April 1991 at about 14:30 local time, a Cessna 172N registered N5738J, operated by Imperial Fabricating Company, was involved in an accident near Dunlap, Tennessee, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 14:30
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Dunlap, Tennessee, United States
- Coordinates
- 35.5592, -84.9491
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N
- Registration
- N5738J
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Imperial Fabricating Company
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Portland → Chattanooga
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- IMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- ATL91FA084
People
2 people died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
THE PILOT-IN-COMMAND'S INADEQUATE PREFLIGHT PLANNING/PREPARATION, HIS ATTEMPTED VFR FLIGHT INTO IFR CONDITIONS, AND HIS SUBSEQUENT FAILURE TO MAINTAIN A PROPER ALTITUDE. FACTORS IN THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN, THE FOGGY, LOW CEILING CONDITIONS ALONG THE ROUTE OF FLIGHT.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THE INSTRUMENT-RATED PILOT AND PILOT-RATED PASSENGER WERE ON A PERSONAL FLIGHT TO A VFR-ONLY AIRPORT. THEIR FLIGHT REQUIRED THEM TO CROSS OVER A MOUNTAIN RIDGE EN ROUTE. LOW CEILINGS, WITH LIGHT DRIZZLE AND FOG, WERE REPORTED NEAR THEIR DESTINATION AIRPORT. WITNESSES ON TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN RIDGE HEARD THE DRONE OF AN ENGINE GETTING CLOSER UNTIL A CRASH WAS HEARD. A WITNESS WHO WAS FIRST ON THE SCENE REPORTED THAT FORWARD VISIBILITY ON THE RIDGE WAS ABOUT 75 YARDS. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED THE SIDE OF THE RIDGE ON A DIRECT HEADING TO THE DESTINATION AIRPORT. THE DAMAGE INDICATED A LEVEL FLIGHT PATH, WITH WINGS LEVEL. THE PILOT DID NOT FILE A FLIGHT PLAN, DID NOT ACTIVATE ONE EN ROUTE, AND HAD NO VOICE COMMUNICATIONS WITH ATC. NO EVIDENCE OF MECHANICAL FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION WAS FOUND.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Cessna 172 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 Apr 1991 | Cessna 172P | College Park, Maryland, United States | Civil Air Patrol, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 25 Apr 1991 | Cessna 172 | Detroit, Michigan, United States | Eximous Flying Club, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 24 Jul 1991 | Cessna 172N | Napa, California, United States | Bridgeford Flying SVC. | No injuries | - |
| 9 Apr 1991 | Cessna 172H | Morehead, Kentucky, United States | Roger Wend | Minor injuries | - |
| 5 Apr 1991 | Cessna 172A | Hood River, Oregon, United States | Paul J. Welp | No injuries | - |
| 31 Mar 1991 | Cessna 172M | Ogden, Utah, United States | Alta Aircraft | No injuries | - |
All 12,209 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 Nov 1991 | British 3101 | Memphis, Tennessee, United States | Northwest Airlink | Serious injuries | - |
| 13 Nov 1991 | Georga L Atwood KITFOX III | Trezevant, Tennessee, United States | Atwood, George L. | No injuries | - |
| 19 Jan 1991 | Beechcraft K35 | Lafayette, Tennessee, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 14 Feb 1991 | Cessna 172 | Crossville, Tennessee, United States | Hagen, Gary W. | Fatal | 1 |
| 30 Mar 1991 | Piper PA-24-250 | Franklin, Tennessee, United States | Hannasch, Thomas P. | Fatal | 1 |
| 15 May 1991 | Boeing 727-223 | Nashville, Tennessee, United States | American Airlines, Inc. | No injuries | - |