Cessna 152 accident near Yanceyville, North Carolina, July 13, 1987
On July 13, 1987 at about 3:05 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N4869B, was destroyed in an accident near Yanceyville, North Carolina. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. 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 13, 1987 · about 3:05 pm local time
- Place
- Yanceyville, North Carolina · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N4869B · registry record · serial 15283684
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT WAS ENGAGED IN LOW ALT COMMERCIAL PHOTOGRAPHY. WITNESSES HAD OBSERVED THE ACFT OPERATING AT A VERY LOW ALTITUDE IN THE AREA FOR THE PAST TWO OR THREE DAYS. THE WITNESS CLOSEST TO THE CRASH SITE RELATED THAT THE ACFT WOULD MAKE A STRAIGHT PASS NEAR A HOMESITE, ADD POWER, START A CLIMBING TURN TO REVERSE DIRECTION AND WHEN ESTABLISHED STRAIGHT AND LEVEL AGAIN, DECREASE POWER. ON THE LAST PASS PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT, THE ACFT ENTERED A CLIMBING TURN TO THE LEFT AND THE NOSE WAS OBSERVED TO DROP AND THE ACFT DISAPPEARED BEHIND A TREE LINE WHICH WAS BETWEEN TWO OPEN FIELDS. THE WRECKAGE WAS FOUND BY ANOTHER WITNESS ABOUT 20 MINS LATER. THE PHOTO OPERATION WAS CONDUCTED SOLO WITH THE PILOT ATTEMPTING TO FLY THE ACFT FROM THE RIGHT SEAT WHILE ALSO DOING AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY WITH A 35 MM CAMERA, ALL AT A LOW ALTITUDE.
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
- Flight time: 1,089 hours in all; 850 in this make and model; 1,015 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,900 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 2, 1987; 229 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BUY Burlington NC at 1:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:50 pm from GSO, 30 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.