Cessna 172 accident near Smithfield, North Carolina, April 13, 2002
On April 13, 2002 at about 3:40 am local time, a Cessna 172, registered N8458U, was substantially damaged in an accident near Smithfield, North Carolina (Johnston County airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 3 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate in-flight planning that resulted in fuel exhaustion and the subsequent loss of engine power.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 13, 2002 · about 3:40 am local time
- Place
- Smithfield, North Carolina · Johnston County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 3 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N8458U · no longer on the register · serial 17252358
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane collided with a tree and power lines while maneuvering for an emergency landing after a loss of engine power. When the pilot and passengers attempted to ditch the airplane, it spiraled to the ground and landed inverted.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,650 hours in all; 410 in this make and model; 147 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days; 1,490 as pilot in command; 740 on instruments
- Last flight review: February 1, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KA55 Charleston SC at 11:45 pm
- Destination: KJNX Smithfield NC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 03, 5,500 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 6,500 ft; scat at 5,500 ft
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.29 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.