Cessna 172N accident near Palm Coast, Florida, November 24, 1987
On November 24, 1987 at about 7:45 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N246ER, was destroyed in an accident near Palm Coast, Florida. It was an instructional 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
- November 24, 1987 · about 7:45 pm local time
- Place
- Palm Coast, Florida
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N246ER · no longer on the register · serial 17270055
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE STUDENT PLT WAS FLYING THE ACFT ON A SOLO INSTRUCTIONAL FLT IN THE NORTH PRACTICE AREA & WAS ASSIGNED TO PRACTICE LANDINGS, TAKEOFFS, STALLS & SLOW FLT. WITNESSES STATED THEY OBSERVED THE ACFT FLYING AT A VERY LOW ALTITUDE JUST BEFORE IT COLLIDED WITH A HOUSE & CAME TO REST IN THE WOODS BEHIND IT. THE ACFT WAS ALSO OBSERVED AT NEAR TREETOP HEIGHT, APRX 1 MI FROM THE ACDNT SITE. WITNESSES DESCRIBED LOUD ENG SOUNDS AS THE ACFT FLEW OVER AN INTERCOASTAL WATERWAY BEFORE THE CRASH. A POST CRASH EXAM OF THE ACFT, ENG, & RELATED COMPONENTS REVEALED NO EVIDENCE OF FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION PRIOR TO IMPACT.
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: 44 hours in all; 34 in this make and model; 13 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 9 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,855 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, November 8, 1987; 56 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2J (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DAB Daytona Beach FL at 6:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 3,300 ft; scat at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:50 pm from DAB, 30 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.