Cessna 172M accident near Hartsville, South Carolina, January 4, 1987
On January 4, 1987 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172M, registered N70493, was destroyed in an accident near Hartsville, South Carolina (Hartsville Municipal airport). It was an instructional 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
- January 4, 1987 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Hartsville, South Carolina · Hartsville Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N70493 · registry record · serial 17267220
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE STUDENT PLT MADE TWO GO-AROUNDS BEFORE STARTING HIS THIRD LANDING ATTEMPT WITH A VARIABLE WIND. AFTER TOUCHDOWN THE ACFT VEERED TO THE RIGHT AND DEPARTED THE RWY. THE PLT APPLIED POWER IN AN ATTEMPT TO TAKE-OFF BUT THE NOSE WHEEL HIT A HOLE AND THE ACFT NOSED OVER.
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: student
- Flight time: 44 hours in all; 5 in this make and model; 26 in the last 90 days; 17 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,140 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 2, 1987; 4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Aircraft Services Of Raleigh
The flight
- Departed from: FLO Florence SC at 7:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 20, 3,300 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 030° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 10,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:50 pm from FLO, 23 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.