Cessna 172P accident near Salisbury, North Carolina, June 21, 1986
On June 21, 1986 at about 2:45 pm local time, a Cessna 172P, registered N52601, was substantially damaged in an accident near Salisbury, North Carolina (Rowan County airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 21, 1986 · about 2:45 pm local time · cases in 1986
- Place
- Salisbury, North Carolina · Rowan County · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172P · all 172Ps on the register
- Registration
- N52601 · no longer on the register · serial 17274561
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT REPORTED THAT THE ENGINE LOST POWER AND QUIT SHORTLY AFTER T/0 AT ABOUT 500-700 FT AGL. HE CHECKED THE MIXTURE, CARB HEAT AND MAGS BUT WAS UNABLE TO RESTART THE ENGINE. A 180 TURN WAS MADE BACK TO THE ARPT. THE PLT STATED THAT HE LET THE AIRSPEED BUILD UP EXCESSIVELY DURING THE DESCENT AND THAT THE ACFT RAN OFF THE RWY END DURING THE LDG. POST-CRASH EXAMINATION OF THE ACFT REVEALED NO EVIDENCE OF ENGINE FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION. THE ENGINE STARTED AND RAN ON THE FIRST ATTEMPT. NO EVIDENCE OF CONTAMINATION WAS NOTED IN THE ACFT FUEL SUPPLY.
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: 161 hours in all; 20 in this make and model; 18 in the last 90 days; 74 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 818 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 23, 1986; 67 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2J (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 2, 4,200 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 155° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:50 pm from HKY, 42 miles away
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.
Other NTSB records under N52601 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N52601: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Cessna 172 Skyhawk 20,680 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,684 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2J 96 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Mid-Carolina Regional · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in North Carolina 1,762 since 1982 · 305 in the last ten years
- North Carolina 7,117 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N52601 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ATL86LA180.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.