Cessna 172M accident near Hebron, Connecticut, June 22, 1998
On June 22, 1998 at about 2:00 am local time, a Cessna 172M, registered N12912, was destroyed in an accident near Hebron, Connecticut. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to obtain a weather briefing which resulted in inadvertent flight into instrument meteorological conditions, and his failure to maintain control of the airplane due to spatial disorientation. Factors in this accident were low ceilings and fog.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 22, 1998 · about 2:00 am local time
- Place
- Hebron, Connecticut
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N12912 · no longer on the register · serial 17262365
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The non-instrument rated private pilot departed in night visual meteorological conditions without obtaining a weather briefing. Weather at the destination airport, 22 miles east of the departure airport, was IMC. Satellite imagery taken at about the time of the accident, revealed low stratus clouds and fog present at the accident site area. Radar data indicated that about 9 miles east of the destination airport, the airplane initiated a right hand turn, and completed two circles, with the radius of the second circle smaller than the first. The airplane's altitude readout fluctuated throughout the maneuver. The airplane impacted in a heavily wooded area and was scattered over 250 feet. Examination of the wreckage did not reveal any pre-impact malfunctions of the airframe or engine.
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: 1,962 hours in all; 30 in the last 90 days; 14 in the last 30 days; 1,892 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,373 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 14, 1997; 141 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HFD Hartford CT at 1:50 am
- Destination: IJD Willimantic CT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 130° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 700 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:52 am from IJD, 9 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.