Cessna 172N accident near Kalaupapa, Hawaii, January 25, 2003
On January 25, 2003 at about 10:22 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N911FC, was destroyed in an accident near Kalaupapa, Hawaii. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
Preview. This page is not yet listed for search engines.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the student pilot's inadvertent VFR flight into IMC, which resulted in his in-flight collision with mountainous terrain while maneuvering. A contributing factor was the low ceiling weather condition.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 25, 2003 · about 10:22 pm local time
- Place
- Kalaupapa, Hawaii · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N911FC · registry record · serial 17271940
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot obtained an in-person weather briefing from the local flight service station (FSS) prior to departure for a solo cross-country flight between two islands. The printed weather information used to provide the briefing depicted visual flight rule (VFR) conditions throughout the planned route of flight. During the time the student was obtaining weather information and planning his flight, the flight instructor obtained a weather briefing from the FSS via telephone. Review of the recorded conversation between the weather briefer and the flight instructor revealed current and forecast weather conditions provided were above VFR weather minimums, and a recommendation discouraging VFR flight was not provided. The accident flight was the student's first solo cross-country. He had flown the same route of flight with his flight instructor 1 week prior to the accident. According to the flight instructor, the student planned to make the flight at 3,500 feet msl. The majority of the flight was to be over open ocean water along the north shore of an island with rugged mountainous terrain of elevations up to 4,961 feet msl. Review of radar data revealed the student pilot descended the airplane from 2,200 feet msl to as low as 1,000 feet msl as it traveled along the planned route. According to two military pilots, who were flying helicopters in the opposite direction along the same route and one of whom observed the accident airplane, the student was eventually going to encounter instrument meteorological conditions at the elevation he was flying. They reported the weather conditions as scattered clouds at 700 feet agl and broken clouds at 1,000 feet agl with precipitation and visibilities between 3 to 5 miles. Radar data depicted the airplane gaining altitude to about 1,500 feet msl before turning south toward higher terrain on the coast of the island. The wreckage was located at the 1,500-foot level of a steeply rising mountain. No preaccident anomalies were noted with the aircraft. According to the flight instructor, if her student could not see the next visual checkpoint during the cross-country flight, he was to turn around and return to the departure airport. Steep mountains separated the accident site from the closest weather reporting facility (11 miles away). The weather conditions at the reporting facility when the accident flight passed that location were a few clouds at 800 feet agl, scattered clouds at 2,400 feet agl, and broken clouds at 5,500 feet agl, with a visibility 10 miles.
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
- Flight time: 33 hours in all; 33 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,763.5 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, January 19, 2003
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: HNL Honolulu HI at 9:40 pm
- Destination: OGG Kahului HI
- Flight plan: VFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 040° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,500 ft; a few clouds at 800 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:54 pm from MKK, 11 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number LAX03FA077.