Cessna 172N accident near Mount Gilead, Ohio, December 30, 2004
On December 30, 2004 at about 3:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N737AZ, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mount Gilead, Ohio (Morrow County airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane following an inadvertent encounter with instrument meteorological conditions. A factor in the accident was the rapidly deteriorating weather.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 30, 2004 · about 3:00 pm local time
- Place
- Mount Gilead, Ohio · Morrow County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N737AZ · registry record · serial 17269280
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Prior to the accident flight the weather was conducive for visual flight rules operations, but deteriorated "rapidly" as the pilot taxied to the runway. Once airborne, the airplane entered an overcast cloud layer at approximately 300 feet agl, and then was heard circling back towards the airport. Shortly thereafter, the airplane descended out of the overcast at a high rate of speed, in a nose low attitude, and impacted the ground. The pilot held a private pilot certificate, but no instrument rating. She had flown 27 hours in the accident airplane in the preceding 90 days, but in the previous year, did not log any night or instrument flight experience. Examination of the airplane did not reveal any evidence of preimpact failures or malfunctions.
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: 1,060 hours in all; 27 in the last 90 days; 13 in the last 30 days; 1,005 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,208 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 1, 2004; 23 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: 4I9 Cardington OH at 2:58 pm
- Destination: 4I9
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 28, 3,497 ft by 65 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 300 ft
- Temperature: 37°F (3°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.29 inHg
- Observation at 3:15 pm from MNN, 11 miles away
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.