Cessna 172P accident near Ft. Wayne, Indiana, June 24, 1987
On June 24, 1987 at about 8:10 pm local time, a Cessna 172P, registered N52362, was destroyed in an accident near Ft. Wayne, Indiana. It was a personal 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
- June 24, 1987 · about 8:10 pm local time
- Place
- Ft. Wayne, Indiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172P · all 172Ps on the register
- Registration
- N52362 · no longer on the register · serial 17274501
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT REPORTED THAT THE AIRSPEED INDICATOR FAILED IN FLIGHT. THE AIRCRAFT LANDED HARD AND PORPOISED. THE NOSE WHEEL BROKE OFF AND THE AIRCRAFT SKIDDED DOWN THE RUNWAY GRINDING OFF THE BOTTOM OF THE CARBURETOR. A FIRE BROKE OUT DESTROYING THE AIRCRAFT. WITNESSES REPORTED THE AIRPLANE APPEARED FAST ON LANDING AND THAT THE FLAPS WERE NOT DOWN. THE CAUSE OF THE AIRSPEED INDICATOR PROBLEM COULD NOT BE DETERMINED DUE TO FIRE DAMAGE TO THE COCKPIT AND PITOT TUBE.
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: 77 hours in all; 7 in this make and model; 18 in the last 90 days; 76 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 3, 1987
- 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: Bowman Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: RID Richmond IN at 7:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 23, 3,110 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:18 pm from FWA, 10 miles away
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.