Cessna 172N accident near Lihue, Hawaii, April 24, 1987
On April 24, 1987 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N739RV, was destroyed in an accident near Lihue, Hawaii. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed. 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
- April 24, 1987 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Lihue, Hawaii · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N739RV · registry record · serial 17270753
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT FILLED THE AIRCRAFT'S FUEL TANKS, LOADED THREE AIR TOUR PASSENGERS AND PROCEEDED UP A CANYON THAT CLIMBED UP TO AN ELEVATION OF ABOUT 3000 FEET MSL ON A SIGHTSEEING FLIGHT. A GROUND TOUR BUS DRIVER OBSERVED SMOKE EMANATING FROM THE CANYON AND REPORTED HIS FINDINGS TO THE PARK RANGERS. RESCUE PERSONNEL FOUND THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED IN THE STEEP WALLS OF THE CANYON.
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: 3,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,861 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 39 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Blue Sky Aviation Of Lihue
The flight
- Departed from: LJH Lihue HI at 10:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 1,900 ft
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
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.