Cessna 172M accident near W. Mifflin, Pennsylvania, September 7, 1987
On September 7, 1987 at about 2:30 am local time, a Cessna 172M, registered N80376, was substantially damaged in an accident near W. Mifflin, Pennsylvania (Allegheny CO. airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were 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
- September 7, 1987 · about 2:30 am local time
- Place
- W. Mifflin, Pennsylvania · Allegheny CO. · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N80376 · registry record · serial 17266558
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE NON-CERTIFICATED PILOT TOOK THE AIRCRAFT WITHOUT AUTHORIZATION. THE AIRCRAFT CRASHED DURING AN ATTEMPTED LANDING ON RUNWAY 10 AT ALLEGHENY COUNTY AIRPORT AND WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED. THERE WERE TWO PASSENGERS ON BOARD BUT THEY WERE NOT INJURED. THE PLT HAD NEVER SOLOED IN ANY ACFT AND HAD NEVER FLOWN THE C-172.
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
- Flight time: 5 hours in all
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,416 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 10, 1987; 15 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: AGC W. Mifflin PA at 2:10 am
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 10, 6,500 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 10,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 11:00 pm from AGC
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.