Cessna 172P accident near Columbus, Ohio, December 11, 1987
On December 11, 1987 at about 6:52 pm local time, a Cessna 172P, registered N52701, was substantially damaged in an accident near Columbus, Ohio (Port Columbus Intl airport). 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).
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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 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 11, 1987 · about 6:52 pm local time
- Place
- Columbus, Ohio · Port Columbus Intl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172P · all 172Ps on the register
- Registration
- N52701 · registry record · serial 17274584
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AT 1343 EST, THE STUDENT PLT CONTACTED APCH CTL & ASKED FOR LNDG INFO. HE WAS ADZD TO CONTINUE VFR FOR RWY 31. WHEN HE CONTACTED THE TOWER AT 1347, THE WIND WAS FM 200 DEG AT 13 KTS. TOWER PSNL GAVE HIM THE CHOICE OF RWY 31 OR 28L; HE ELECTED TO LND ON RWY 31. BY THE TIME HE WAS LNDG AT 1352, THE WIND HAD SHIFTED TO THE SSE AT 5 TO 15 KTS. RPRTDLY, THE ACFT WAS HIGH & FAST ON FINAL APCH & IT TOUCHED DOWN ABOUT HALF WAY DOWN THE RWY. THE STUDENT ELECTED TO CONTINUE THE LNDG RATHER THAN GO AROUND. HE WAS UNABLE TO STOP ON THE REMAINING RWY. AFTER THE ACFT WENT OFF THE DEP END, IT ENCTRD SOFT TERRAIN & GRASS & THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED. THE 1350 EST WIND WAS FM 190 DEG AT 5 KTS.
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: student
- Flight time: 53 hours in all; 53 in this make and model; 11 in the last 90 days; 12 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,084 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 12, 1987; 101 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2J (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HTS Huntington WV at 6:00 pm
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 31, 5,001 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 5 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,500 ft; not recorded at 5,500 ft
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:50 pm from CMH, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Other NTSB records under N52701 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ATL88LA062.