Cessna 172M accident near Clarksdale, Mississippi, March 28, 1987
On March 28, 1987 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172M, registered N12497, was substantially damaged in an accident near Clarksdale, Mississippi. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. 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
- March 28, 1987 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Clarksdale, Mississippi · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N12497 · no longer on the register · serial 17262021
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT STATED THAT WHILE FLYING AT A LOW ALTITUDE OVER A DRIED UP LAKE BED THE AIRCRAFT COLLIDED WITH AN UNMARKED TELEPHONE WIRE. A LANDING WAS MADE IN A FIELD WHERE DAMAGED WAS INSPECTED. THE PILOT THEN ELECTED TO TAKEOFF AND RETURN TO THE DEPARTURE AIRPORT, WHERE HE LANDED WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,300 hours in all; 170 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days; 2,433 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,230 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 29, 1986
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Jack Wall Aviation,Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: CKM Clarksdale MS at 9:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:48 pm from MEM, 27 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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 N12497 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.