Cessna 172P accident near Naples, New York, March 30, 1995
On March 30, 1995 at about 1:20 am local time, a Cessna 172P, registered N96746, was destroyed in an accident near Naples, New York. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's continued VFR flight into instrument meteorological conditions. Factors contributing to the accident were: the night conditions, fog, low ceiling, and hilly terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 30, 1995 · about 1:20 am local time
- Place
- Naples, New York · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172P · all 172Ps on the register
- Registration
- N96746 · no longer on the register · serial 17276108
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE NON-INSTRUMENT-RATED PRIVATE PILOT RECEIVED 3 WEATHER BRIEFINGS OVER A PERIOD OF 8 HOURS WHICH INDICATED THAT THE WEATHER EN ROUTE WAS DETERIORATING, AND INCLUDED MOUNTAIN OBSCURATION. HE THEN DEPARTED ON THE NIGHT CROSS-COUNTRY FLIGHT. WHILE FLYING IN A MOUNTAINOUS AREA, THE PILOT DESCENDED BELOW THE LEVEL OF THE SURROUNDING HILLS AND THE AIRPLANE STRUCK TREES ON RISING TERRAIN. A SEARCH WAS INITIATED; THE LOCATION OF THE ACCIDENT SITE WAS UNKNOWN UNTIL THE PASSENGER WALKED TO A ROAD THE NEXT MORNING AND EMERGENCY PERSONNEL WERE NOTIFIED. THE PILOT WAS FOUND ALIVE AT THE ACCIDENT SITE AND TRANSPORTED TO A HOSPITAL WHERE HE SUCCUMBED TO HIS INJURIES. THE ELT WAS FOUND SWITCHED OFF. THE PASSENGER REPORTED THAT THEY HAD BEEN OPERATING IN SNOW, AND WERE IN FOG WHEN THEY STRUCK THE TREES. WITNESS SAID THE TOPS OF THE HILLS WERE OBSCURED WITH CLOUDS.
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: 113 hours in all; 29 in this make and model; 14 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 79 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,452 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, January 31, 1995; 78 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: POU Poughkeepsie NY at 11:29 pm
- Destination: IAG Niagara Falls NY
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.