Cessna 172N accident near Tooele, Utah, July 3, 1986
On July 3, 1986 at about 4:20 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N5552E, was substantially damaged in an accident near Tooele, Utah (Tooele Valley airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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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 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 3, 1986 · about 4:20 pm local time
- Place
- Tooele, Utah · Tooele Valley · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N5552E · registry record · serial 17271887
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER SUCCESSIVE AIRCRAFT BOUNCES DURING A TOUCHDOWN PHASE OF LANDING, THE PILOT LOST CONTROL. THE AIRCRAFT DEPARTED THE SIDE OF THE RUNWAY INTO AN AREA OF SOFT TERRAIN. THE LANDING GEAR NOSE WHEEL SANK INTO THE GROUND AND THE AIRCRAFT NOSED OVER INTO AN INVERTED POSITION. THE PILOT AND ONE PASSENGER ABOARD WERE NOT INJURED.
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: 53 hours in all; 2 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 26 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 820 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 6, 1986; 29 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4M (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: U42 Salt Lake City UT at 4:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 16, 5,500 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 8,500 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:52 pm from SLC, 23 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Other NTSB records under N5552E the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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 DEN86LA184.