Cessna 172D accident near Custer, South Dakota, July 26, 1987
On July 26, 1987 at about 9:40 pm local time, a Cessna 172D, registered N2346U, was substantially damaged in an accident near Custer, South Dakota (Custer County 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).
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
- July 26, 1987 · about 9:40 pm local time
- Place
- Custer, South Dakota · Custer County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172D · all 172Ds on the register
- Registration
- N2346U · no longer on the register · serial 17249946
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT AND HIS PLT-RATED PAX WERE LANDING ON RWY 7 (4700 FT X 50 FT) AT CUSTER COUNTY ARPT (5602 FT MSL), CUSTER, SD. THE PLT ESTIMATED THE WINDS TO BE FROM 180 DEG AT 15 KTS. ANOTHER PLT AT THE ARPT ESTIMATED THE WINDS TO BE OUT OF THE SE AT 20 TO 25 KTS ALL THAT DAY. THE PLT SAID HE TOUCHED DOWN ON THE RWY AND THE X-WIND BLEW HIM TO THE LEFT. THE PLT TOLD FAA OFFICIALS THAT AS HE STARTED TO FLARE FOR LANDING, THE ACFT STARTED DRIFTING TO THE LEFT. AFTER THE ACFT TOUCHED DOWN, IT DEPARTED THE LEFT SIDE OF THE RWY AND COLLIDED WITH A ROCK PILE.
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: 220 hours in all; 220 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days; 187 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,309 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 13, 1987; 12 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300 SER (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Christonson Farms, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: SD14 Draper SD at 8:20 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 7, 4,700 ft by 50 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
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.