Cessna 172N accident near Sedona, Arizona, October 8, 1993
On October 8, 1993 at about 3:38 am local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N5365D, was destroyed in an accident near Sedona, Arizona. It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's decision to continue VFR at an improper altitude into mountainous terrain at night and the inadvertent encounter with clouds along the route. Self-induced pressure due to a low fuel state contributed to the accident.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 8, 1993 · about 3:38 am local time
- Place
- Sedona, Arizona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N5365D · no longer on the register · serial 17272548
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was returning from a day long charter flight. About 2000 hours, the pilot dropped his passengers in Flagstaff, Arizona, and departed for Sedona, located 21 miles to the south. At a point 13.6 miles south of Flagstaff, the airplane collided with a sheer rock wall about 1,000 feet below the top of the mountainous terrain. Based on weather data and witness statements, low clouds existed in the accident area around the time of the accident. A witness reported seeing the airplane's lights flash on the clouds while the aircraft appeared to be reversing course. The witnesses heard normal engine sounds until the impact. No system discrepancies were noted during the examination of the aircraft. Based on fuel calculations, the airplane had about 5.5 gallons of fuel on board or about 40 minutes of flight time remaining.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 13,205 hours in all; 40 in the last 30 days; 12,788 as pilot in command; 6,270 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,325 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 21, 1993; 15 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Aerovision, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: FLG Flagstaff AZ at 7:00 am
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 240° at 1 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:49 am from FLG, 21 miles away
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.
Other NTSB records under N5365D 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.