Cessna 172N accident near Kill Devil Hill, North Carolina, July 25, 1995
On July 25, 1995 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N5415J, was involved in an accident near Kill Devil Hill, North Carolina (First Flight 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 attempt by the pilots to perform the unfamiliar procedure of starting the airplane's engine by hand.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 25, 1995 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Kill Devil Hill, North Carolina · First Flight · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N5415J · registry record
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT HAD RENTED THE AIRPLANE FOR THE PERSONAL FLIGHT TO KITTY HAWK. AFTER LANDING, THE MASTER SWITCH WAS INADVERTENTLY LEFT IN THE 'ON' POSITION, WHILE THE PILOT AND HIS PASSENGERS WERE SIGHTSEEING. WHEN THEY RETURNED TO THE AIRPLANE, THE BATTERY WAS TOO WEAK TO START THE ENGINE. A LOCAL AIR TOUR PILOT AGREED TO ASSIST WITH HAND STARTING THE ENGINE, SINCE THERE WERE NO SERVICES AT THE AIRSTRIP. ACCORDING TO THE PILOT, HE WAS INSTRUCTED TO PLACE THE MASTER SWITCH IN THE 'ON' POSITION. SEVERAL ATTEMPTS TO START THE ENGINE WERE UNSUCCESSFUL. THE ASSISTING PILOT CAME TO THE COCKPIT DOOR TO VERIFY THAT THE MASTER SWITCH WAS IN THE 'ON' POSITION. THE PILOT ASKED WHERE THE IGNITION SWITCH SHOULD BE, AND WAS TOLD IT SHOULD BE IN THE 'START' POSITION. WHEN THE PROPELLER WAS NEXT MOVED, THE ENGINE STARTED, AND THE PROPELLER STRUCK THE ASSISTING PILOT, BREAKING HIS HAND.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 299 hours in all; 6 in this make and model; 9 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 226 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 2,600 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FFA
- Destination: MQI Manteo NC
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 20 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 6,000 ft; scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:45 pm from MQI
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.
Other NTSB records under N5415J the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.