Cessna 172K accident near Fayetteville, West Virginia, July 17, 1984
On July 17, 1984 at about 3:45 pm local time, a Cessna 172K, registered N46547, was substantially damaged in an accident near Fayetteville, West Virginia. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. 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
- July 17, 1984 · about 3:45 pm local time
- Place
- Fayetteville, West Virginia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172K · all 172Ks on the register
- Registration
- N46547 · registry record · serial 17257342
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT STATED THAT THE ENG SUDDENLY LOST POWER AS HE WAS CLIMBING THRU ABOUT 150 FT AGL. HE CONTINUED STRAIGHT AHEAD & LANDED AFTER THE ACFT BRUSHED THE TOP OF A SMALL TREE THEN HIT ANOTHER SMALL TREE. NO REASON FOR THE LOSS OF POWER WAS FOUND. ONE OF THE PASSENGERS STATED THAT THE PLT DID NOT RUN UP THE ENG PRIOR TO TAKEOFF.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 18,000 hours in all; 18,000 in this make and model; 250 in the last 90 days; 18,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (invalid medical for flight)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,347 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 14, 1984; 93 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.