Cessna 172K accident near Elizabethton, Tennessee, March 18, 2014
On March 18, 2014 at about 11:25 pm local time, a 1968 Cessna 172K, registered N46603, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (climb to cruise) near Elizabethton, Tennessee (Elizabethton Muni airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s delayed decision to maneuver around rising terrain, which resulted in a collision with trees and terrain. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s failure to calculate the performance requirements needed to climb over mountainous terrain before the flight.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 18, 2014 · about 11:25 pm local time
- Place
- Elizabethton, Tennessee · Elizabethton Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172K, built 1968 · all 172Ks on the register
- Registration
- N46603 · no longer on the register · serial 17257379
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot and two passengers were returning home on a cross-country flight. The pilot departed on the accident flight from runway 06 on the left downwind leg with the intention of flying over a mountain range; the airport facility directory current at the time of the accident stated that departures from runway 06 were required to make right traffic, which is intended to provide departing aircraft with adequate clearance from the surrounding terrain. During the climb, the pilot became concerned that the airplane would not clear the approaching rising terrain, so he attempted to maneuver the airplane away from it; however, the airplane subsequently impacted trees and terrain. Examination of the wreckage revealed no preexisting mechanical anomalies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot did not calculate the performance requirements needed to clear the 3,000-ft-tall mountain peak before the flight. Performance calculations based on data reported by the pilot indicated that the airplane's climb rate was too low to provide clearance from terrain along the pilot's selected route.
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
What happened, in order
- Controlled flight into terrain or object (CFIT) during enroute (climb to cruise) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › Mountainous/hilly terrain › Contributed to outcome
- factor Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Flight planning/navigation › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Altitude › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine sea
- Flight time: 90 hours in all; 10 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 90 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 28, 2013
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,688 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 20, 2013; 61 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,299 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 6,688 hours total
- Operator: Skypark INC
The flight
- Departed from: 0A9 Elizabethton TN at 11:15 pm
- Destination: 15G Wadsworth OH
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
- Observation at 10:56 pm from 0A9, 3 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 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.