Cessna 172 accident near Enosburg Falls, Vermont, August 4, 1983
On August 4, 1983 at about 6:30 am local time, a Cessna 172, registered N5326R, was destroyed in an accident near Enosburg Falls, Vermont (Enosburg Falls, Vt airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries. 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
- August 4, 1983 · about 6:30 am local time
- Place
- Enosburg Falls, Vermont · Enosburg Falls, Vt
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N5326R · registry record · serial 17252851
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT REPORTED THAT WHEN HE WAS ON FINAL TO LAND ON A DARK NIGHT, THE ACFT HAD ELECTRICAL FAILURE & HE HAD NO LIGHTS. HE REPORTED THAT THIS OCCURRED WHEN HE HAD STARTED HIS FLARE & THAT WAS ALL HE COULD REMEMBER UNTIL AFTER HE HAD REGAINED CONSCIOUSNESS AFTER THE ACCIDENT. WITNESSES REPORTED THAT THE PLT MADE 3 ATTEMPTS TO LAND. AFTER THE 3RD ATTEMPT, THE ACFT CRASHED INTO A SMALL BUILDING, LOCATED APRX 75 FT SOUTH OF RWY 27. THE RWY WAS UNLIGHTED. IT WAS BORDERED ALONG THE SOUTH SIDE BY A ROW OF MOBILE HOMES & PARKED ACRFT. REPORTEDLY, THE PLT HAD LANDED THERE BEFORE AT NIGHT WHILE THE MOBILE HOME LIGHTS WERE ON, BUT DURING THIS LANDING (AT APRX 0230 EDT), THE LIGHTS WERE NOT ON. FIVE HOURS AFTER THE ACCIDENT, THE PILOT'S BLOOD ALCOHOL LEVEL WAS 0.043%.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,600 hours in all; 1,600 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, April 4, 1982
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BTV Burlington VT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 2,200 ft by 25 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 310° at 10 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.