Cessna 172N accident near Terre Haute, Indiana, October 12, 1997
On October 12, 1997 at about 5:20 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N734WT, was substantially damaged in an accident near Terre Haute, Indiana (Sky King airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed during a go-around attempt which resulted in an inadvertent stall.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 12, 1997 · about 5:20 pm local time · cases in 1997
- Place
- Terre Haute, Indiana · Sky King · cases near this airport
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N734WT · registry record · serial 17269179
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Witnesses to the accident said that the prevailing winds at the airport were from the south at 12 to 15 miles per hour. They observed the airplane on final approach to runway 26. They said at about 50 feet above ground level the pilot initiated a go-around, but maintained a nose high attitude which continued until the airplane departed controlled flight, turned left and impacted the terrain. A weather reporting station seven miles to the southeast of the accident reported winds of 190 degrees at 15 knots gusting to 22 knots, 10 minutes after the accident.
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: 100 hours in all; 25 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 50 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,009 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 29, 1997; 13 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: JVY Jeffersonville IN at 4:30 pm
- Destination: 3I3
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 26, 3,557 ft by 50 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 15 knots, gusting 22
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 20,000 ft; scat at 5,500 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:30 pm from HUF, 7 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
- N734WT 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: Lycoming O-320-H2AD 83 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Sky King Airport · nearest airport
- Clark Regional · departed from
- 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/CHI98LA014.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.