Cessna 172H accident near Chuckey, Tennessee, September 25, 1987
On September 25, 1987 at about 7:14 pm local time, a Cessna 172H, registered N3885R, was substantially damaged in an accident near Chuckey, Tennessee. 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 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 25, 1987 · about 7:14 pm local time
- Place
- Chuckey, Tennessee · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172H · all 172Hs on the register
- Registration
- N3885R · no longer on the register · serial 172-55385
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT ESTIMATED THERE WAS 9 GAL OF FUEL ON BOARD WHEN HE TOOK OFF. APRX 20 MIN LATER, HE WAS MAKING A LOW PASS OVER A PRIVATE STRIP WHEN THE ENG LOST POWER. HE STATED THAT HE REPOSITIONED THE FUEL SELECTOR TO THE OTHER TANK, BUT WAS UNABLE TO RESTART THE ENG (BFR BEING FORCED TO LAND). DRG THE LNDG, THE ACFT WENT THRU A BARBED WIRE FENCE & HIT A SMALL BUILDING. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION WAS EVIDENT. THE PLT'S MED CERT WAS DATED 8/10/84.
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: 600 hours in all; 10 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (expired)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,451 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 11, 1986; 57 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Johnson City TN at 5:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.