Cessna 172M accident near Shelbyville, Indiana, March 26, 1987
On March 26, 1987 at about 1:30 am local time, a Cessna 172M, registered N19984, was substantially damaged in an accident near Shelbyville, Indiana (Shelbyville Municipal airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. 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 October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 26, 1987 · about 1:30 am local time
- Place
- Shelbyville, Indiana · Shelbyville Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N19984 · no longer on the register · serial 17260911
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT'S ORIGINAL DESTN WAS LEXINGTON, KY, HOWEVER BETWEEN BLUEFIELD, KY AND LEXINGTON, HE AMENDED HIS DESTN TO INDIANAPOLIS, IN. THE PLT STATED THAT FUEL CONSUMPTION WAS CALCULATED AS 7.1 GPH, BUT HE DID NOT TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION THE CESSNA 172 TIME/FUEL TO CLIMB CHART OR THE 10% VARIANCE FOR ACFT/ENGINE CONDITION, ACCESSORY CONDITION, OR TURBULENCE. FUEL CONSUMPTION CALCULATIONS AT 7.8 GPH (7.1 GPH CRUISE CONSUMPTION RATE + 10% VARIANCE) INDICATE THAT FOLLOWING TAKEOFF AND CLIMB, THE REMAINING FLT ENDURANCE WAS ABOUT 5.1 HOURS. THE PLT DEPARTED RALEIGH-DURHAM, NC AT 1530 EST AND HE REPORTED FUEL EXHAUSTION TO THE INDIANAPOLIS INTERNATIONAL APPROACH CONTROL AT 2030 EST. THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH AN OVERPASS SUPPORT STRUCTURE WHILE LANDING IN THE EASTBOUND LANES OF I-74, ABOUT FOUR MILES EAST-SOUTHEAST OF SHELBYVILLE, IN. AFTER THE ACCIDENT, A TOTAL OF APPRX ONE CUP OF FUEL WAS DRAINED FROM THE ACFT WING SUMPS AND GASCOLATOR.
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: 205 hours in all; 204 in this make and model; 19 in the last 90 days; 126 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,440 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 12, 1986
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Advantage Engineering, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: RDU Raleigh-Durham NC at 8:30 pm
- Destination: 5I1 Lexington KY
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 240° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 5,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 36°F (2°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.