Cessna 172N accident near Gerton, NC
On October 31, 1994, a Cessna 172N (airplane) was involved in an accident near Gerton, NC. 4 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- October 31, 1994
- Place
- Gerton, NC
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · Airplane
- Injuries
- 4 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 35.481°N, 82.350°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001206X02376
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On October 31, 1994, at 1856 eastern standard time, a Cessna 172N, N5338D, collided with a mountain ridge near Gerton, North Carolina. The business flight operated under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91, with no flight plan filed. Instrument flight weather conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The airplane was destroyed by impact forces and a post-impact fire. The private pilot and three passengers were fatally injured. The flight departed Beaufort, North Carolina, at 1430 hours, and made a refueling stop in Rutherfordton, North Carolina. At 1131, a man who identified himself as the pilot of N5338D, telephoned Raleigh Automated Flight Service Station (AFSS), and requested weather data for a planned flight to Springfield, Tennessee. The Air Traffic Control Specialist (ATCS), gave the pilot a summary of pertinent adverse weather conditions. The briefing information indicated that instrument flight weather conditions prevailed along the planned route, and that the North Carolina mountains were also obscured. The ATCS told the pilot that the visual flight rules (VFR) flight was not recommended. The pilot was advised to call back later for a standard weather briefing. At 1201, the pilot called Raleigh AFSS and requested a weather briefing from Morehead, North Carolina, to Springfield, Tennessee. Again, the pilot was given current and forecasted weather conditions. The weather information disclosed that instrument flight conditions continued to prevail, and that mountain terrain features were obscured by clouds. At 1405, the pilot telephoned Raleigh
Probable cause
THE PILOT'S INADEQUATE WEATHER EVALUATION AND HIS INTENTIONAL VISUAL FLIGHT INTO IMC.
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Browse: North Carolina · Cessna aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
