Cessna 172E accident near Huntingburg, Indiana, May 31, 1987
On May 31, 1987 at about 8:38 pm local time, a Cessna 172E, registered N5514T, was substantially damaged in an accident near Huntingburg, Indiana. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 31, 1987 · about 8:38 pm local time · cases in 1987
- Place
- Huntingburg, Indiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172E · all 172Es on the register
- Registration
- N5514T · registry record · serial 17251414
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE ON A X-COUNTRY FLT, THE ACFT'S NAV EQUIP WAS NOT WORKING PROPERLY & THE PLT BECAME LOST/DISORIENTED. HE REQUESTED A DF STEER, BUT HAD DIFFICULTY RECEIVING TRANSMISSIONS ON HIS RECEIVER. HE SUBSEQUENTLY RECEIVED ASSISTANCE & VECTORS TOWARD THE HUNTINGBURG ARPT; HOWEVER, THE ENG LOST POWER FROM FUEL EXHAUSTION BEFORE REACHING THE ARPT. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT WAS DAMAGED DURING A FORCED LANDING IN A WOODED AREA ABOUT 2 MI FROM THE ARPT. ONLY ABOUT 1 QUART OF FUEL WAS REMAINING IN THE FUEL TANKS AFTER THE 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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 130 hours in all; 130 in this make and model; 50 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days; 81 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,048 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 1, 1987; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 3WE St Louis MO at 5:35 pm
- Destination: EVV Evansville IN
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 25,000 ft; not recorded at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:49 pm from EVV, 28 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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N5514T on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna 172 Skyhawk 20,693 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,678 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental O-300-D 31 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Evansville Regional · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in Indiana 1,367 since 1982 · 179 in the last ten years
- Indiana 5,705 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CHI87DEX06.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.