Cessna R172K accident near Kamuela, Hawaii, January 1, 1986
On January 1, 1986 at about 9:10 pm local time, a Cessna R172K, registered N7320K, was destroyed in an accident near Kamuela, Hawaii. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person was killed and 4 people were seriously injured. 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
- January 1, 1986 · about 9:10 pm local time
- Place
- Kamuela, Hawaii · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 4 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna R172K · all R172Ks on the register
- Registration
- N7320K · no longer on the register · serial R1722056
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH TERRAIN WHILE MANEUVERING TO AVIOD CLOUDS DURING A LOCAL SCENIC FLT. THE PLT STATED THAT TURBULENCE CAUSED LOSS OF CONTROL AND THE ACFT WAS BLOWN INTO TREES. THE WINDS WERE FROM 050 DEGS AT 37 KTS WITH GUSTS TO 45 KTS. SIGMET OSCAR FIVE WAS IN EFFECT AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT WHICH FORECAST OCCASIONAL SEVERE TURBULENCEBELOW 9000 FT OVER AND IMMEDIATELY SOUTH THROUGH WEST OF ALL MOUNTAINS IN ALL OF THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,005 hours in all; 581 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,223 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, December 4, 1985; 38 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-360-KB (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: IAI Keahole HI at 8:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 37 knots, gusting 45
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,500 ft; scat at 300 ft
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:50 pm from MUE, 4 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 3 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N7320K the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.