Cessna 172M accident near Flippin, Arkansas, April 4, 1991
On April 4, 1991 at about 6:02 am local time, a Cessna 172M, registered N4416R, was destroyed in an accident near Flippin, Arkansas (Marion County airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S ATTEMPTED VFR FLIGHT IN INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS AND HIS FAILURE TO MAINTAIN ALTITUDE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 4, 1991 · about 6:02 am local time · cases in 1991
- Place
- Flippin, Arkansas · Marion County · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N4416R · registry record · serial 17263164
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING A NIGHT FLIGHT IN INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS THE NONINSTRUMENT RATED PRIVATE PILOT DESCENDED TO LAND AND IMPACTED 80 FOOT TALL TREES AND THE GROUND. VISIBILITY AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT WAS ZERO. THE AIRPORT WAS EQUIPPED WITH A VOR/DME AND NDB APPROACH. IT IS UNKNOWN IF THE PILOT ATTEMPTED TO FLY AN APPROACH. WITNESSES REPORTED THE AIRPLANE CIRCLED THE TOWN ONCE PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT.
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: 524 hours in all; 236 in this make and model; 11 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 437 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MQ6 Russelville AR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 22, 3,520 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 120° at 3 knots
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N4416R on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna 172 Skyhawk 20,693 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,678 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 27,305 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Marion County Regional · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Arkansas 1,582 since 1982 · 176 in the last ten years
- Arkansas 3,493 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/FTW91FA060.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.