Cessna 172P accident near Northfield, New Hampshire, September 2, 1989
On September 2, 1989 at about 2:05 am local time, a Cessna 172P, registered N65595, was destroyed in an accident near Northfield, New Hampshire. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT INITIATED FLIGHT INTO KNOWN ADVERSE WEATHER WHICH RESULTED IN A LOSS OF CONTROL. CONTRIBUTING FACTOR(S) WAS: THE PILOT'S OVERCONFIDENCE AND THE EXISTING WEATHER CONDITIONS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 2, 1989 · about 2:05 am local time
- Place
- Northfield, New Hampshire
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172P · all 172Ps on the register
- Registration
- N65595 · no longer on the register · serial 17275782
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
EARLIER IN THE DAY, AT 1317 AND AT 1553, THE PLT RECEIVED WX BRIEFINGS FOR A VFR FLT FROM NEWBURYPORT TO LACONIA, TO RETURN LATER IN THE EVENING. THE 1553 BRIEFING INCLUDED AN ADVISORY THAT VFR FLT WAS NOT RECOMMENDED. ACFT DEPARTED LACONIA AT 2155 FOR RETURN FLT. CONTACTED APCH CONTROL AT 2158. AT 2206 CONTROLLER TRIED TO CONTACT FLT BUT THERE WAS NO RESPONSE. WRECKAGE FOUND NEXT MORNING. ANOTHER AIRCRAFT, WHICH HAD DEPARTED BEHIND N65595, ENCOUNTERED LOW CEILINGS AND EXTREME TURBULENCE CAUSING IT TO CRASH IN A HAY FIELD.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,535 hours in all; 1,499 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 1,275 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2J (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LCI Laconia NH at 2:00 am
- Destination: 2B2 Newburyport MA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 170° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 4,000 ft; clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 1:52 am from CON, 12 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.