Cessna 172E accident near Fair Bluff, North Carolina, December 9, 2007
On December 9, 2007 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Cessna 172E, registered N3699S, was destroyed in an accident near Fair Bluff, North Carolina (Strickland Field Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate preflight inspection which failed to detect contaminated fuel, and subsequent loss of engine power.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 9, 2007 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Fair Bluff, North Carolina · Strickland Field Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172E · all 172Es on the register
- Registration
- N3699S · no longer on the register · serial 17250899
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that he owned the airplane for quite some time, and that it had been "sitting" on the field since 2004. He said that he stopped taking flying lessons, and decided to sell the airplane. He said on the day of the accident, he "washed the airplane" and "sumped the fuel tanks." While sumping the tanks, he noted that about a ½ cup of water drained from the left and right fuel tanks. He decided to start the airplane and take it up for 1-touch and go. During his initial climb out the engine began to lose power. Shortly thereafter, he "pushed the throttle forward, and the engine revved up and then stopped." At that point, he made a left turn towards the field and landed in heavy brush. He said that as he exited the airplane it "caught on fire" and he was unable to extinguish it. During the telephone interview with the pilot he said that "he did not get all of the water out of tanks."
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: student
- Flight time: 100 hours in all; 100 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,647 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 1, 2007; 181 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 89NC Fair Bluff NC at 9:25 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 5, 2,642 ft by 118 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.29 inHg
- Observation at 10:00 pm from CPC, 15 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.
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.