Cessna R172K accident near Rockwood, Tennessee, October 20, 1986
On October 20, 1986, a Cessna R172K, registered N7526V, was destroyed in an accident near Rockwood, Tennessee (Rockwood airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was 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
- October 20, 1986
- Place
- Rockwood, Tennessee · Rockwood · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna R172K · all R172Ks on the register
- Registration
- N7526V · no longer on the register · serial 1722308
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRCRAFT WAS OBSERVED DEPARTING AT APPROX 2010 HOURS, REVERSING COURSE AND FLYING OVER THE AIRPORT AT 300-400 FT AGL. THE AIRCRAFT CRASHED 3/4 MILES SOUTH OF THE AIRPORT IN UNPOPULATED, MOUNTAINOUS/HILLY TERRAIN AT AN ELEVATION OF 1560 FEET, WHICH IS 104 FEET LOWER THAN THE AIRPORT ELEVATION. THE WRECKAGE WAS FOUND APPROX 2 DAYS LATER. THE PILOT, THE SOLE OCCUPANT, WAS FATALLY INJURED. THE AIRCRAFT WAS DESTROYED. THERE WAS NO FIRE. RECORDS INDICATE THAT THE PILOT HAD 6.1 HOURS OF NIGHT TIME, WITH LAST NIGHT FLIGHT BEING 23 MONTHS PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT. A TOTAL OF 155 HOURS FLYING TIME WAS ACCUMULATED OVER A 9 YEAR AND 2 MONTH PERIOD. THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF MALFUNCTION WITH THE AIRCRAFT OR RELATED EQUIPMENT.
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: 165 hours in all; 25 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,756 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 3, 1986; 25 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-360-K (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: COX Maryville TN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 4, 5,000 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Wind: at 5 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
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.