Cessna 172N accident near Indian Mound, Indiana, October 25, 1982
On October 25, 1982 at about 8:36 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N739RJ, was destroyed in an accident near Indian Mound, Indiana. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. 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 25, 1982 · about 8:36 pm local time
- Place
- Indian Mound, Indiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N739RJ · no longer on the register · serial 17270742
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
APPROXIMATELY 10 MINUTES AFTER DEPARTURE THE PILOT OF N739RJ REPORTED "ENGINE PROBLEMS." THE PILOT STATED THAT HE TRIED VARIOUS POWER SETTINGS AND FUEL SELECTIONS WITHOUT SUCCESS. HE ADVISED FORT CAMPBELL APPROACH CONTROL THAT HE WAS LANDING INTO TREES. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT CONDITIONS AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT WERE WITHIN A RANGE OF SERIOUS ICING AFTER 15 MINUTES CONTINUOUS ENGINE OPERATION.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 665 hours in all; 15 in this make and model; 65 in the last 90 days; 59 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,169 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: C Clarksville TN at 3:21 pm
- Destination: C Memphis TN
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 138°F (59°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.