Cessna 172C accident near Switz City, Indiana, August 16, 1987
On August 16, 1987 at about 11:30 pm local time, a Cessna 172C, registered N1418Y, was destroyed in an accident near Switz City, Indiana. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed and 2 people were seriously injured. 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
- August 16, 1987 · about 11:30 pm local time
- Place
- Switz City, Indiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed and 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172C · all 172Cs on the register
- Registration
- N1418Y · no longer on the register · serial 17249118
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER DEPARTING THE BLOOMFIELD ARPT, THE PLT FLEW WITH HIS FAMILY OVER A COAL MINE AREA WHERE HE HAD DONE RECLAMATION WORK. WITNESSES AT THE MINE STATED THAT THEY OBSERVED THE ACFT FLY LOW OVER THE MINE PITS & THAT THE PLT WAVED AT THEM. THE ACFT DEPARTED, THEN RETURNED ABOUT 10 TO 15 MIN LATER. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT STRUCK A POWER LINE AT AN ESTD ALT OF 76' AGL & CRASHED. CABLE MARKS WERE FOUND ON THE NOSE WHEEL FORK & TIRE. TOXICOLOGY CHECKS SHOWED THE PLT HAD A BLOOD/ALCOHOL LVL OF 0.13% & A URINE/ALCOHOL LVL OF 0.03%.
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: 500 hours in all; 450 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,733 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 2, 1986; 72 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,250 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 1I3 Bloomfield IN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 2 |
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.