Cessna 172N accident near Warren, Arkansas, March 18, 1986
On March 18, 1986 at about 1:35 am local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N1530E, was destroyed in an accident near Warren, Arkansas (Warren Muni airport). 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 18, 1986 · about 1:35 am local time
- Place
- Warren, Arkansas · Warren Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N1530E · no longer on the register · serial 17271036
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT REPORTS THAT A DEER RAN IN FRONT OF THE ACFT DURING THE FLARE FOR A NIGHT LANDING. THE PROP HIT AND KILLED THE DEER AND THE NOSE GEAR AND BOTTOM OF THE ENG COMPARTMENT WERE DAMAGED. AFTER THE COLLISION THE PLT SAID HE SMELLED FUEL FUMES AND WHEN THE FRONT OF THE ACFT STARTED SLIDING ON THE RWY A FIRE DEVELOPED WHICH DESTROYED THE ACFT.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 172 hours in all; 172 in this make and model; 29 in the last 90 days; 130 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 670 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 30, 1985
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: PBF Pinebluff AR at 1:00 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 21, 3,800 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 100° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 25,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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 N1530E 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.