Cessna 172M accident near Cairo, New York, May 26, 1986
On May 26, 1986 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172M, registered N13650, was destroyed in an accident near Cairo, New York (Sport Haven airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed. 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
- May 26, 1986 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Cairo, New York · Sport Haven · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N13650 · no longer on the register · serial 17262910
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WITNESSES SAW BLACK SMOKE TRAILING THE ACFT SHORTLY AFTER IT BECAME AIRBORNE ABOUT 50 FT ABOVE THE RWY. SHORTLY AFTERWARD, A LOSS OF POWER LOSS OCCURRED. THE ACFT DESCENDED AND COLLIDED WITH THE GROUND IN A NOSE LOW ATTITUDE. THE RWY IS 2,700 FT LONG AND SURROUNDED BY TREES. THE ACFT CAME TO REST TO THE LEFT OF AND NEAR THE END OF RWY 14. EXAM OF THE ACFT DISCLOSED THAT A PIECE OF THE MOUNTING GASKET FOR THE CARB AIR FILTER, A NON-CESSNA FOUR PIECE PART, WAS LODGED IN THE VENTURI SECTION OF THE CARBURETOR. ALSO REVEALED WAS THAT THE CARBURETOR FLOAT WAS NOT BUOYANT AND RESULTED IN ENGINE FUEL FLOODING. THE ACFT WAS USING AUTOMOTIVE FUEL.
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: 3,050 hours in all; 3 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 802 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 15, 1985; 6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NY04 Cairo NY at 3:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 14, 2,700 ft by 85 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 45 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,500 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:50 pm from ALB, 22 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.