Cessna 172N accident near Dunlap, Tennessee, April 20, 1991
On April 20, 1991 at about 2:30 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N5738J, was destroyed in an accident near Dunlap, Tennessee. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT-IN-COMMAND'S INADEQUATE PREFLIGHT PLANNING/PREPARATION, HIS ATTEMPTED VFR FLIGHT INTO IFR CONDITIONS, AND HIS SUBSEQUENT FAILURE TO MAINTAIN A PROPER ALTITUDE. FACTORS IN THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN, THE FOGGY, LOW CEILING CONDITIONS ALONG THE ROUTE OF FLIGHT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 20, 1991 · about 2:30 pm local time
- Place
- Dunlap, Tennessee · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N5738J · no longer on the register · serial 17273830
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE INSTRUMENT-RATED PILOT AND PILOT-RATED PASSENGER WERE ON A PERSONAL FLIGHT TO A VFR-ONLY AIRPORT. THEIR FLIGHT REQUIRED THEM TO CROSS OVER A MOUNTAIN RIDGE EN ROUTE. LOW CEILINGS, WITH LIGHT DRIZZLE AND FOG, WERE REPORTED NEAR THEIR DESTINATION AIRPORT. WITNESSES ON TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN RIDGE HEARD THE DRONE OF AN ENGINE GETTING CLOSER UNTIL A CRASH WAS HEARD. A WITNESS WHO WAS FIRST ON THE SCENE REPORTED THAT FORWARD VISIBILITY ON THE RIDGE WAS ABOUT 75 YARDS. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED THE SIDE OF THE RIDGE ON A DIRECT HEADING TO THE DESTINATION AIRPORT. THE DAMAGE INDICATED A LEVEL FLIGHT PATH, WITH WINGS LEVEL. THE PILOT DID NOT FILE A FLIGHT PLAN, DID NOT ACTIVATE ONE EN ROUTE, AND HAD NO VOICE COMMUNICATIONS WITH ATC. NO EVIDENCE OF MECHANICAL FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION WAS FOUND.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,736 hours in all; 8,543 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,283 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 3, 1990; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Imperial Fabricating Company
The flight
- Departed from: 1M5 Portland TN at 1:45 pm
- Destination: IAO Chattanooga TN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 700 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:51 pm from CHA, 21 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.