Cessna 172I accident near N. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, June 5, 1997
On June 5, 1997 at about 10:30 pm local time, a Cessna 172I, registered N5124G, was substantially damaged in an accident near N. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina (Grand Strand airport). It was a personal 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate pre-flight inspection which resulted in fuel exhaustion and total loss of engine power. A factor was the soft terrain at the emergency landing site.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 5, 1997 · about 10:30 pm local time
- Place
- N. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina · Grand Strand · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172I · all 172Is on the register
- Registration
- N5124G · no longer on the register · serial 17257021
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While in cruise flight, the engine quit. A forced landing was made to a soft field resulting in the collapse of the nose landing gear and the airplane nosing over onto its back. The pilot reported that he did not check the fuel quantity in the airplane prior to departing for the flight.
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: single-engine land
- Flight time: 420 hours in all; 105 in this make and model; 110 in the last 90 days; 340 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,671 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 15, 1996
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HYW Conway SC
- Destination: CRE
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 5, 5,996 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 080° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 7,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:57 pm from CRE, 8 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.