Cessna 172 accident near Stamford, Connecticut, November 5, 1987
On November 5, 1987 at about 2:35 pm local time, a Cessna 172, registered N9538L, was substantially damaged in an accident near Stamford, Connecticut. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 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
- November 5, 1987 · about 2:35 pm local time
- Place
- Stamford, Connecticut
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N9538L · no longer on the register · serial 76572
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE INSTRUCTOR (CFI) REPORTED THAT THE AIRCRAFT HAD JUST REACHED THE TOP OF A CLIMB AT 2500 FT WHEN THE ENGINE LOST POWER. AN OFF AIRPORT LANDING WAS MADE ON A GOLF COURSE. DURING THE LANDING, THE WINGS STRUCK TREES AND THE AIRCRAFT WAS DAMAGED. THE GOLF COURSE HAD NUMEROUS TREES AND THE TERRAIN WAS NOT LEVEL. EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE DISCLOSED THE ROCKER ARM ASSEMBLY FOR THE NUMBER 1 EXHAUST VALVE HAD FAILED.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,452 hours in all; 830 in this make and model; 245 in the last 90 days; 1,250 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 467 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 1, 1987; 42 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HPN White Plains NY at 2:25 pm
- Destination: ISP Islip NY
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:50 pm from HPN, 7 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.