Cessna R172K accident near Bagdad, Arizona, January 22, 1997
On January 22, 1997 at about 3:45 pm local time, a Cessna R172K, registered N736WZ, was destroyed in an accident near Bagdad, Arizona. It was a personal 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
continued flight by the pilot into adverse weather conditions, and his failure to maintain sufficient altitude or clearance from terrain. Factors relating to the accident were: the high/mountainous terrain and adverse weather conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 22, 1997 · about 3:45 pm local time
- Place
- Bagdad, Arizona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna R172K · all R172Ks on the register
- Registration
- N736WZ · no longer on the register · serial R1722858
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The operator reported that several flights were canceled on the morning of the accident due to darkening weather north of the departure airport. A witness on the ground reported that the mountain tops around the accident site were shrouded in clouds. A second witness reported a cloud bank over the mountains, southeast of the destination airport. A third witness flying through the area reported that the mountains near the accident site were obscured in low clouds. The pilot received a weather briefing before departure. The aircraft was found to have crashed into rising mountainous terrain south of his destination.
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: 528 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,990 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 13, 1996; 68 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-360-KB2 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DVT Phoenix AZ at 2:55 pm
- Destination: IGM Kingman AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 7 knots
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 34°F (1°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:45 pm from PRC, 48 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 N736WZ 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.