Cessna 172G accident near Boones Mill, Virginia, October 8, 1982
On October 8, 1982 at about 6:07 pm local time, a Cessna 172G, registered N3957L, was substantially damaged in an accident near Boones Mill, Virginia. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 8, 1982 · about 6:07 pm local time
- Place
- Boones Mill, Virginia
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172G · all 172Gs on the register
- Registration
- N3957L · no longer on the register · serial 17254126
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT WAS TRYING TO APPROACH ROANOKE IN WEATHER THAT OBSCURED THE MOUNTAIN TOPS. HE CRASHED INTO A MOUNTAIN SLOPE AT THE 2900 FOOT LEVEL. HE HAD CONTACTED ROANOKE RADIO BUT RADAR CONTACT HAD NOT BEEN ESTABLISHED. DURING HIS WEATHER BRIEFING VFR FLIGHT HAD NOT BEEN RECOMMENDED. TWO WITNESSES STATED THAT THEY HEARD THE AIRCRAFT CIRCLE OVERHEAD BEFORE IT CRASHED, BUT THEY WERE UNABLE TO SEE THE PLANE DUE TO HEAVY FOG.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 729 hours in all; 27 in the last 90 days; 589 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (invalid medical for flight)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,480 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Myrtle Beach SC at 11:56 am
- Destination: Liverpool OH
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 5 knots
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 160°F (71°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.