Cessna 172 accident near Olyhant, Pennsylvania, June 24, 1987
On June 24, 1987 at about 9:15 am local time, a Cessna 172, registered N35354, was substantially damaged in an accident near Olyhant, Pennsylvania. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. 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
- June 24, 1987 · about 9:15 am local time
- Place
- Olyhant, Pennsylvania · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N35354 · no longer on the register · serial 17256729
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE CROSS COUNTRY PERSONAL TRANSPORTATION FLIGHT ARRIVED IN THE SCRANTON, PENNSYLVANIA AREA FOR A PLANNED REFUELING STOP AND ENCOUNTERED HEAVY FOG CONDITIONS. SIX ATTEMPTS TO LAND WERE MADE, BUT WERE ABORTED. AN ATTEMPT TO LAND AT ANOTHER AIRPORT WAS ALSO ABORTED. BEING OUT OF FUEL THE PILOT DECIDED TO MAKE AN EMERGENCY LANDING ON A ROAD AND CRASHED IN A WOODED AREA.
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: 154 hours in all; 154 in this make and model; 50 in the last 90 days; 97 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 1, 1987
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Cumberland MD
- Destination: Dover NH
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- 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.