Cessna 172 accident near Kirkland, Ohio, July 7, 1986
On July 7, 1986 at about 7:04 am local time, a Cessna 172, registered N7098A, was substantially damaged in an accident near Kirkland, Ohio (Lost Nation airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was 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 7, 1986 · about 7:04 am local time
- Place
- Kirkland, Ohio · Lost Nation · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N7098A · no longer on the register · serial 29198
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PILOT HAD FLOWN FROM WISCONSON TO CAPE COD ON WEDNESDAY AND WAS RETURNING TO WISCONSIN ON SUNDAY. HE HAD DEPARTED PROVINCETOWN ON SUNDAY MORNING AND STOPPED AT HYANNIS DUE TO WEATHER. HE THEN FLEW ON TO SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY WITH A STOP AT WESTOVER, ARRIVING AT SARATOGA SPRINGS AT 2157 EDT. HE DEPARTED SARATOGA SPRINGS AT ABOUT 2250 EDT AND AFTER BEING AIRBORNE FOR ABOUT 4.25 HOURS, TOLD CLEVELAND APPROACH CONTROL THAT HE HAD AN ENGINE OUT. THE AIRCRAFT COLLIDED WITH TREES. TWO AND ONE-HALF QUARTS OF FUEL WERE FOUND IN THE LEFT TANK; RIGHT TANK WAS EMPTY. ALTHOUGH THE RIGHT TANK HAD BEEN RUPTURED, NO EVIDENCE OF FUEL SPILLAGE WAS FOUND AT THE ACCIDENT SITE.
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: 138 hours in all; 86 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days; 21 in the last 30 days; 105 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,468 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 24, 1985; 67 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 5B2 Saratoga NY at 2:50 am
- Destination: BKL Cleveland OH
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 230° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:00 am from CLE, 25 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.