Cessna 172RG accident near Bloominton, Indiana, December 18, 1986
On December 18, 1986, a Cessna 172RG, registered N9603B, was destroyed in an accident near Bloominton, Indiana (Monroe County airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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 October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 18, 1986
- Place
- Bloominton, Indiana · Monroe County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172RG · all 172RGs on the register
- Registration
- N9603B · no longer on the register · serial 172RG0913
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ACCORDING TO THE PILOT HE WAS CLEARED FOR THE ILS APPROACH AND FOLLOWED HIS GLIDESLOPE AND LOCALIZER INDICATIONS IN A NORMAL MANNER. HE EVENTUALLY SAW THE GROUND PRIOR TO REACHING HIS DECISION HEIGHT OF APPROX 200 FEET AGL. THIS SIGHTING OF THE GROUND WAS THE LAST THING HE REMEMBERED PRIOR TO IMPACTING THE GROUND APPROX 1/2 MILE FROM THE END OF THE RUNWAY. HE DOES NOT REMEMBER ATTEMPTING A MISSED APPROACH.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,039 hours in all; 14 in this make and model; 71 in the last 90 days; 922 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,282 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 9, 1986; 57 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-F1A6 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DAY Dayton OH at 11:07 pm
- Destination: BMG Bloomington IN
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 35, 5,201 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 280° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 300 ft; not recorded at 300 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.