Cessna 172RG accident near Boca Raton, Florida, March 26, 1994
On March 26, 1994 at about 5:15 pm local time, a Cessna 172RG, registered N9781B, was substantially damaged in an accident near Boca Raton, Florida (Boca Raton airport). It was an instructional 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 failure of the aircraft operator to comply with engine manufacturers service bulletins which resulted in improper inspection of exhaust valves and subsequent sticking of the no. 4 exhaust valve.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 26, 1994 · about 5:15 pm local time
- Place
- Boca Raton, Florida · Boca Raton · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172RG · all 172RGs on the register
- Registration
- N9781B · no longer on the register · serial 172RG1032
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The aircraft's engine lost partial power during climb after takeoff. The aircraft would not maintain altitude and a forced landing was made in a wooded area. Postcrash examination of the engine indicated the No. 4 exhaust valve had stuck and the exhaust valve pushrod was bent. No other engine malfunctions were noted. Textron Lycoming Engines issued mandatory service bulletin 388B on May 13, 1992, requiring the testing of the exhaust valve clearances each 400 flight hours on aircraft. The logbook records for N9781B did not have any entries showing compliance with service bulletin 388B.
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: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 645 hours in all; 132 in this make and model; 202 in the last 90 days; 54 in the last 30 days; 570 as pilot in command; 415 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,290 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, March 21, 1994; 9 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-FIA6 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0, 5,197 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:47 pm from FXE, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.