Cessna 150 accident near Appalachia, Virginia, April 14, 1986
On April 14, 1986 at about 3:25 pm local time, a Cessna 150, registered N7792E, was destroyed in an accident near Appalachia, Virginia. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 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
- April 14, 1986 · about 3:25 pm local time
- Place
- Appalachia, Virginia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150 · all 150s on the register
- Registration
- N7792E · no longer on the register · serial 150-17592
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
N7792E EXPERIENCED A GRADUAL POWER LOSS WHILE EN ROUTE TO GREENWOOD. S.C. VIA APPALACHIA, VA. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT THE ENGINE QUIT AND RESTARTED FOR A FEW SECONDS AFTER HE HAD BEEN FLYING ABOUT TWENTY MINUTES. THIS CYCLE CONTINUED FOR ABOUT TWO MORE TIMES,BEFORE THE ENGINE STOPPED COMPLETELY. HE PROCEEDED TO MAKE AN EMERGENCY LANDING IN A WOODED MOUNTAINOUS AREA. THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK A TREE FLIPPED INVERTED AND EXPLODED ON IMPACT WITH THE GROUND. THE AIRCRAFT WAS DESTROYED BY FIRE. THE ACCIDENT SITE WAS ABOUT 180 DEGREES FROM THE INTENDED ROUTE OF FLIGHT. THE PILOT'S BROTHER-IN LAW STATED THAT THE PILOT HAD PLANNED TO OVERFLY THE FAMILY HOME TO SHOW THEM THE AIRCRAFT. THE CONDITION DESCRIBED BY THE PILOT WAS INDICATIVE OF CONDITIONS ASSOCIATED WITH CARBURETOR ICE. THE PILOT DID NOT REPORT APPLYING CARBUERTOR HEAT. THE TEMP/DEW POINT AT TRI-CITIES AIRPORT WAS 68/43 DEGREES.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,812 hours in all; 215 in this make and model; 203 in the last 90 days; 1,750 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,535 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 25, 1985
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: Lonesome Pine VA at 3:05 pm
- Destination: Greenwood NC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; not recorded at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:48 pm from TRI, 47 miles away
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.