Cessna 172N accident near Page, Arizona, May 24, 1993
On May 24, 1993 at about 10:20 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N734DB, was destroyed in an accident near Page, Arizona. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's selection of an inadequate cruise altitude. A factor in the accident was the high winds and turbulence in the vicinity of the cliffs.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 24, 1993 · about 10:20 pm local time
- Place
- Page, Arizona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N734DB · registry record · serial 17268764
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot received a check out in the Cessna 172 from a local FBO and scheduled the accident airplane for an all day trip to the Grand Canyon and back. The pilot spent several hours at the Grand Canyon during which time he fueled the airplane. The pilot departed the Grand Canyon airport at about 1500 hours. A short time later witnesses observed a fire on the cliffs on the south side of a plateau. A pilot in the area afterwards reported the weather was clear and very turbulent with southwest winds to 20 or 25 knots. The pilot said it was impossible to get close to the wreckage because of the winds and turbulence. SAR personnel reported that the aircraft collided with a sheer cliff wall in a near level flight attitude about 200 feet below the top of the plateau. A fire consumed the aircraft.
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: foreign licence, private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 450 hours in all; 200 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,090 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 9, 1992
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
- Not recorded
The flight
- Departed from: GCN Grand Canyon AZ at 10:00 pm
- Destination: VGT North Las Vegas NV
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 20 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
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 documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text 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 LAX93LA225.