Cessna C-172R accident near Angola, Indiana, December 25, 1998
On December 25, 1998 at about 6:50 pm local time, a Cessna C-172R, registered N989CP, was destroyed in an accident near Angola, Indiana. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control for undetermined reasons.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 25, 1998 · about 6:50 pm local time
- Place
- Angola, Indiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna C-172R
- Registration
- N989CP · registry record · serial 17280255
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was destroyed on impact with an agricultural field. Radar data the showed that the accident aircraft departed to the northeast at 3,400 feet and tracked east-northeast towards De Kalb County Airport, Auburn, Indiana where the aircraft descended. It then proceeded northbound to the Tri-State Steuben County Airport, Angola, Indiana, where there were three descents. The aircraft then proceeded towards the west and then turned towards the east at an altitude of 1,700 feet mean sea level (MSL). The last radar return was at 1445:12 at 1,700 feet MSL. The aircraft impacted the ground about 700 feet from a relative's house. A family member of the pilot stated that on previous flights, the pilot would do 'flybys' by the houses of people he knew. The family member also stated that they had rented a high wing airplane from the Angola Airport to go and perform 'flybys'. The family member described the 'flyby' as a circling maneuver at an altitude of approximately 3-4 times the height of the trees. The family member stated that he would hear a buzzer during the maneuver. No preimpact anomalies were found during inspection of the airplane or engine. Twelve gallons of fuel were recovered from the fuel tanks.
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: 2,320 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 458 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 11, 1998; 51 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,450 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-L2A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FWA Fort Wayne IN at 5:25 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 7°F (-14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:54 pm from FWA, 39 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CHI99FA053.