Cessna 172G accident near Steubenville, Ohio, June 8, 1987
On June 8, 1987 at about 3:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172G, registered N3644L, was substantially damaged in an accident near Steubenville, Ohio (Steubenville-Pier airport). It was a business 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 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 8, 1987 · about 3:00 pm local time
- Place
- Steubenville, Ohio · Steubenville-Pier · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172G · all 172Gs on the register
- Registration
- N3644L · registry record · serial 17253813
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PIC RPTED HE FLEW OVER AIRPORT AND NOTED WIND DIRECTION AS 290-300 DEGREES ON WIND INDICATOR. HE ENTERED DOWNWIND FOR RWY 31 AT UNCONTROLLED FIELD. NORMAL APPROACH FLOWN WITH FULL FLAPS ON FINAL WITH LEFT CROSSWIND CORRECTION. ABOUT 30-40 FEET ABOVE RWY, ACFT QUIT FLYING AND DROPPED. PIC SAID HE RECOVERED JUST ABOVE RWY. GUST LIFTED LEFT WING, AND RIGHT WING TIP SCRAPED RWY. PIT, 23 MILES EAST, HAD WIND 240/15G21. OWNERS MANUAL STATES USE MIN FLAP SETTING IN STRONG CROSSWINDS.
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: 1,200 hours in all; 300 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (expired)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CRW Charleston WV at 1:30 pm
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 31, 3,310 ft by 35 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 15 knots, gusting 21
- Visibility: 9 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 25,000 ft; scat at 12,000 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:50 pm from PIT, 23 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.