Cessna 172N accident near Union Grove, North Carolina, April 27, 1987
On April 27, 1987 at about 7:15 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N4678G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Union Grove, North Carolina. 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
- April 27, 1987 · about 7:15 pm local time
- Place
- Union Grove, North Carolina · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N4678G · no longer on the register · serial 17273304
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT REPORTED THAT HE WAS ATTEMPTING TO MAKE A SOFT-FIELD LDG IN A PLOWED FIELD AT A FRIEND'S FARM. HE HAD NOT LANDED THERE PREVIOUSLY. AFTER INITIAL TOUCHDOWN WAS MADE ON THE MAIN LDG GEAR, THE NOSEWHEEL DUG INTO A RISE IN THE TERRAIN AND THE AIRPLANE NOSED OVER INVERTED. THE PLT NOTED THAT THE FIELD WAS MUDDY AT THE TIME.
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: 81 hours in all; 80 in this make and model; 19 in the last 90 days; 28 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,931 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, January 13, 1987; 40 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Missionary Aviation Institute
The flight
- Departed from: 31A Mocksmille NC at 7:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 18,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:46 pm from INT, 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.