Cessna 172M accident near Lexington, North Carolina, March 7, 1987
On March 7, 1987 at about 4:15 pm local time, a Cessna 172M, registered N61639, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lexington, North Carolina (Lexington Municipal 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 October 12, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 7, 1987 · about 4:15 pm local time · cases in 1987
- Place
- Lexington, North Carolina · Lexington Municipal · 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 172M · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N61639 · no longer on the register · serial 17264693
- 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 HE HAD TRANSITIONED TO A VISUAL APPROACH, FOLLOWING A SIMULATED RADAR APPROACH TO THE RWY USING VECTORS AND DESCENT INFO SUPPLIED BY AN INSTRUMENT-RATED SAFETY PLT IN THE RT SEAT. THE SAFETY PLT WAS THE PLT'S FORMER INSTRUCTOR. THE PLT TOLD THE SAFETY PLT THAT HE FELT THAT THE ACFT WAS TOO HIGH TO LAND, AND THAT A GO-AROUND MIGHT BE ADVISABLE. THE SAFETY PLT TOLD HIM THAT THERE WAS ENOUGH ROOM TO LAND AND THE PLT CONTINUED THE DESCENT. THE PLT REPORTED THAT HE STILL HAD INTENTIONS OF GOING AROUND WHEN THE SAFETY PLT LOWERED THE FLAPS ABOUT 1/3 OF THE WAY DOWN THE RWY, AT ABOUT 25 FT AGL. THE ACFT SUBSEQUENTLY TOUCHED DOWN SLIGHTLY OVER HALFWAY DOWN THE 3300 FOOT RWY, AND OVERRAN THE END.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 285 hours in all; 56 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,318 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 4, 1986; 44 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Fred Smith Enterprises
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 26, 2,300 ft by 65 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N61639: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Cessna 172 Skyhawk 20,679 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,688 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D 258 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Davidson County Executive · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in North Carolina 1,759 since 1982 · 304 in the last ten years
- North Carolina 7,120 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ATL87LA080.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.