Cessna 172P accident near Caesars Head, South Carolina, June 25, 1989
On June 25, 1989 at about 1:37 pm local time, a Cessna 172P, registered N53667, was destroyed in an accident near Caesars Head, South Carolina. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN SUFFICIENT AIRSPEED WHILE FLYING OVER RISING TERRAIN, WHICH RESULTED IN AN INADVERTENT STALL AND COLLISION WITH WOODED TERRAIN. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE TERRAIN CONDITIONS AND FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN SUFFICIENT ALTITUDE OVER MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 25, 1989 · about 1:37 pm local time
- Place
- Caesars Head, South Carolina · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172P · all 172Ps on the register
- Registration
- N53667 · no longer on the register · serial 17274798
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
BEFORE TAKEOFF, THE CFI PLT RPRTD HE WOULD BE DEPG ON A SIGHTSEEING FLT. ON THE NEXT DAY, THE ACFT WAS RPRTD AS MISSING & A SEARCH WAS INITIATED. IT WAS LOCATED ON 6/29/89, WHERE IT HAD CRASHED ON MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN. RADAR DATA INDCD THE ACFT WAS TRAVELING DOWN A VALLEY & HAD TURNED TOWARD RISING TERRAIN. SUBSEQUENTLY, IT CRASHED ON WOODED, MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN AT AN ELEVATION OF ABOUT 2000 FT & BURNED. AN EXAM OF THE WRECKAGE FAILED TO REVEAL ANY MECHANICAL FAILURE/MALFUNCTION THAT WOULD HAVE RESULTED IN AN ACDNT.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 871 hours in all; 370 in this make and model; 169 in the last 90 days; 72 in the last 30 days; 757 as pilot in command; 545 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 21, 1989
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2J (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Cornerstone Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: GMU Greenville SC at 1:18 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:50 pm from AVL, 25 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.