Cessna 172L accident near Wooster, Ohio, December 8, 1999
On December 8, 1999 at about 11:45 pm local time, a Cessna 172L, registered N7565G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Wooster, Ohio (Wayne County Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadvertent taxi onto unsuitable terrain. A factor was the burnt out landing/taxi light.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 8, 1999 · about 11:45 pm local time
- Place
- Wooster, Ohio · Wayne County Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172L · all 172Ls on the register
- Registration
- N7565G · registry record · serial 17259265
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane's landing/taxi light burned out on final approach. The pilot made an uneventful landing, then back-taxied to the parking ramp, which had no edge lights. The pilot saw a jet parked on the ramp, and wanted to make sure he stayed clear of the it. He misjudged the turn, and the airplane taxied off the pavement, and into a ditch.
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: 97 hours in all; 90 in this make and model; 7 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 38 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,215 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 6, 1999; 9 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LNP Wise VA at 9:15 pm
- Destination: BJJ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 28, 5,193 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 190° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 41°F (5°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:51 pm from CAK
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.