Cessna 172B accident near Henderson, North Carolina, December 6, 1997
On December 6, 1997 at about 7:09 pm local time, a Cessna 172B, registered N172MT, was substantially damaged in an accident near Henderson, North Carolina (Henderson/Oxford airport). 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The loss of engine power for undetermined reasons.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 6, 1997 · about 7:09 pm local time
- Place
- Henderson, North Carolina · Henderson/Oxford · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172B · all 172Bs on the register
- Registration
- N172MT · registry record · serial 17248480
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Two miles north of the destination airport, while cruising at 2500 feet, the pilot noticed that the engine rpm had dropped, followed by a total loss of engine power. Attempts to restore engine power failed. The pilot selected a forced landing area, and while maneuvering for the emergency landing, the right wing struck a tree and the airplane came to rest in a freshly plowed field. During the on-site phase of the wreckage examination, a substantial amount of fuel was discovered in the fuel tanks. No aircraft system malfunctions or component failures were noted during the on site examination and during the follow-up examination of the engine assembly. The pilot recalled that the outside air temperature at 2500 feet was 25 degrees. A review of weather data from the nearest reporting facility, 30 miles south of the accident site, reported a temperature of 40 degrees. Carburetor heat was last used about 45 minutes before the loss of engine power; the carburetor heat lever was in the cold position when the engine lost power. A review of weather data failed to disclosed conditions favorable for the formation of carburetor ice.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,660 hours in all; 500 in this make and model; 210 in the last 90 days; 90 in the last 30 days; 1,645 as pilot in command; 1,155 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,497 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 11, 1997; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HZL Hazleton PA at 3:37 pm
- Destination: HNZ
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 24, 5,002 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 10 knots, gusting 17
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 6,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 16°F (-9°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:51 pm from RDU, 30 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.
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 documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text 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 ATL98LA020.