Cessna 172N accident near Honolulu, Hawaii, November 7, 1986
On November 7, 1986 at about 5:20 am local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N6184D, was destroyed in an accident near Honolulu, Hawaii (Honolulu Intl. airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. 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
- November 7, 1986 · about 5:20 am local time
- Place
- Honolulu, Hawaii · Honolulu Intl. · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N6184D · no longer on the register · serial 17272619
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT EXPERIENCED A LOSS OF ENGINE POWER WHILE DESCENDING DURING A PRACTICE INSTRUMENT APCH. THE TEMPERATURE WAS 81 DEGREES (F) WITH THE DEW POINT OF 71 DEGREES (F). ACCORDING TO THE ICING PROBABILITY CHART, THERE IS A POSSIBILITY OF SERIOUS CARBURETOR ICING AT GLIDE POWER UNDER THOSE CONDITIONS. BOTH PILOTS REPORTED NO OTHER MECHANICAL FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION WITH THE ENGINE PRIOR TO THE LOSS OF POWER.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 430 hours in all; 15 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 370 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,309 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 14, 1986; 46 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2J (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Hawaii Country Club Of The Air
The flight
- Departed from: HNL Honolulu HI at 4:50 am
- Destination: HNL Honolulu HI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:00 am from HNL, 2 miles away
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.
Other NTSB records under N6184D 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.