Cessna 172E accident near Lebanon, Ohio, September 6, 1987
On September 6, 1987, a Cessna 172E, registered N3970S, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lebanon, Ohio (Brownies Lebanon airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 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
- September 6, 1987
- Place
- Lebanon, Ohio · Brownies Lebanon · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172E · all 172Es on the register
- Registration
- N3970S · registry record · serial 17251170
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A WITNESS RPRTD THE ACFT WAS HI & FAST ON FINAL APCH. THE PLT STATED HE LANDED THE ACFT LONG & FAST & WAS UNABLE TO STOP ON THE REMAINING RWY. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT IMPACTED A DITCH BEYOND THE DEP END OF THE RWY & THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED. BEFORE THE ACFT CAME TO REST, THE VERTICAL STABILIZER CONTACTED AN OVERHEAD TELEPHONE LINE. THE PLT RPRTD HE HAD ONLY 3.5 HRS OF FLT TIME IN THIS MAKE & MODEL OF ACFT.
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: 97 hours in all; 4 in this make and model; 19 in the last 90 days; 52 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,359 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 28, 1987; 97 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Brownie Tool Works,Inc.
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 2,110 ft by 37 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
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.