Cessna 172N accident near Temple Bar, Arizona, August 25, 1987
On August 25, 1987 at about 6:30 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N733TA, was destroyed in an accident near Temple Bar, Arizona (Temple Bar airport). It was a personal 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
- August 25, 1987 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Temple Bar, Arizona · Temple Bar · 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
- N733TA · registry record · serial 17268525
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE STALL WARNING HORN SOUNDED DURING CLIMBOUT FOLLOWING A TOUCH-AND-GO LANDING. RISING TERRAIN WAS REPORTED BEYOND THE END OF THE RUNWAY AND THE PILOT WAS UNABLE TO CONTINUE TO CLIMB WHILE MAINTAINING A SAFE AIRSPEED. THE DENSITY ALTITUDE WAS APPROXIMATELY 4000 FEET IN THE 93 DEGREE AMBIENT AIR TEMPERATURE.
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: 400 hours in all; 250 in this make and model; 2 in the last 90 days; 325 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,814 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 9, 1987; 35 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: L15 Las Vegas NV at 6:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 16, 3,500 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 9,000 ft
- Temperature: 93°F (34°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
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.