Cessna 172N accident near Middleburg, Florida, December 22, 1986
On December 22, 1986 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N739SV, was destroyed in an accident near Middleburg, Florida. 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 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
- December 22, 1986 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Middleburg, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N739SV · no longer on the register · serial 17270777
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE FLT WAS RECEIVING FLT FOLLOWING SERVICES FROM JACKSONVILLE APCH CONTROL. RADAR AND RADIO CONTACT WAS LOST SHORTLY AFTER THE PLT REPORTED TO APCH CONTROL HE WAS DESCENDING OUT OF 4,500 FT IN PREPARATION FOR HIS LANDING AT ST. AUGUSTINE, FL. A WITNESS STATED THAT HE COULD HEAR THE ACFT FLYING LOW AND THAT THE ENG WAS RUNNING AT A STEADY CRUISING SPEED UNTIL HE HEARD THE ACFT IMPACT THE GROUND. THE WEATHER IN THE JACKSONVILLE AREA WAS INSTUMENT FLT CONDITIONS. THE PLT HELD A STUDENT PLT CERTIFICATE WHICH HAD EXPIRED 1 YEAR AND 10 MONTHS PRIOR TO THIS OCCURRENCE.
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
- Flight time: 60 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (expired)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 16, 1986
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 1JO Bonifay FL
- Destination: SGJ St. Augustine FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 040° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:55 pm from NZC, 11 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.