Cessna 172F accident near Ephraim, Utah, March 3, 1986
On March 3, 1986 at about 1:45 am local time, a Cessna 172F, registered N7879U, was substantially damaged in an accident near Ephraim, Utah. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. 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 3, 1986 · about 1:45 am local time
- Place
- Ephraim, Utah · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172F · all 172Fs on the register
- Registration
- N7879U · no longer on the register · serial 17251879
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ACCORDING TO THE PLT, UPON HIS ARRIVAL AT THE DEST ARPT, HE COULD NOT ACTIVATE THE RWY LGHTS BY RADIO, SO HE PROCEEDED TO THE NEAREST ARPT. HE STATED HE COULD NOT FIND HIS ALTERNATE ARPT BEACON LIGHT, SO HE REVERSED DIRECTION AND HEADED ONCE MORE TO HIS ORIGINAL DEST. THE PLT SAID THE ENG QUIT BEFORE HE REACHED THE ARPT AND A FORCED LANDING WAS ACCOMPLISHED WITHOUT A LANDING LIGHT BECAUSE IT WAS INOP. THE PLT SAID THE ACCIDENT COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED IF HE HAD CALLED SLC FSS AND RECEIVED LOCAL NOTAMS.
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: 188 hours in all; 125 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 128 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,250 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 15, 1985
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Boise ID at 10:25 pm
- Destination: 41U Ephraim UT
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 030° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 13,000 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.