Cessna 172N accident near Fancy Gap, Virginia, October 9, 1994
On October 9, 1994 at about 2:10 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N734NB, was destroyed in an accident near Fancy Gap, Virginia. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate inflight planning and his failure to maintain adequate terrain clearance. Other related factors are: fog, rain, VFR flight into IMC, inexperience and mountainous terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 9, 1994 · about 2:10 pm local time
- Place
- Fancy Gap, Virginia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N734NB · no longer on the register · serial 17268974
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE STUDENT PILOT WAS ON A RETURN VFR FLIGHT AFTER VISITING FAMILY RELATIVES WHEN THE AIRCRAFT ENCOUNTERED INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS AND COLLIDED WITH TREES IN MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN. THERE WERE NO WITNESSES WHO SAW THE CRASH; HOWEVER, SEVERAL WITNESSES IN THE AREA REPORTED SEEING AN AIRPLANE FLYING IN AND OUT OF CLOUDS, AND ALONG AN INTERSTATE HIGHWAY. THE WEATHER WAS DESCRIBED AS FOG AND RAIN. ACCORDING TO THE OWNER, THE PILOT WAS NOT AUTHORIZED TO USE THE AIRPLANE. FAA RECORDS INDICATE THE PILOT WAS LAST ISSUED A THIRD CLASS MEDICAL CERTIFICATE IN JULY 1989 AT WHICH TIME THE PILOT REPORTED 23 HOURS OF TOTAL FLIGHT TIME. THE EXAMINATION OF THE WRECKAGE DID NOT DISCLOSE EVIDENCE OF PREACCIDENT MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION.
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: student
- Flight time: 23 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (expired)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,202 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 26, 1994; 15 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: BLF Bluefield WV at 1:12 pm
- Destination: INT Winston Salem NC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 0.5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast; not recorded
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:00 am
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.