Cessna 172M accident near Saltville, Virginia, August 31, 1974
On August 31, 1974 at about 2:30 am local time, a Cessna 172M, registered N5142R, was destroyed in an accident near Saltville, Virginia. 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 continued VFR flight into known night instrument meteorological conditions. Factors in the accident included mountainous terrain obscured by clouds, and dark night conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 31, 1974 · about 2:30 am local time
- Place
- Saltville, Virginia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N5142R · no longer on the register · serial 17263359
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot was issued his certificate one week prior to the accident, and he did not possess an instrument rating. After extensive discussions, flight planning, and weather analysis with the pilot, the fixed base operator agreed to rent the airplane for the planned cross-country flight, if the pilot agreed to fly only in day VFR conditions, and spend the night at an intermediate stop along his intended course. Instead, the pilot landed at the planned stop, refueled, and continued his flight over mountainous terrain in night instrument meteorological conditions. The wreckage was discovered in mountainous terrain 16 months after the accident. The crash site was at an elevation of 4,500 feet on a mountain with an elevation of 4,689 feet. On the night of the accident, the cloud ceilings in the area were measured between 2,700 feet and 4,000 feet mean sea level with visibility reduced by rain showers and fog.
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: 63 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 70 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, June 1, 1974
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: AHN Athens GA at 1:00 am
- Destination: CRW Charleston WV
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 250° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,200 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 30.10 inHg
- Observation at 1:58 am from BLF, 39 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.