Cessna 172E accident near Elkton, Virginia, October 26, 1997
On October 26, 1997 at about 4:43 pm local time, a Cessna 172E, registered N3097U, was destroyed in an accident near Elkton, Virginia. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's intention VFR flight into instrument meteorological conditions. Contributing factors were clouds and mountainous/hilly terrain..
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 26, 1997 · about 4:43 pm local time
- Place
- Elkton, Virginia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172E · all 172Es on the register
- Registration
- N3097U · no longer on the register · serial 17250697
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot took off on a VFR cross country flight in IMC conditions. The pilot did not possess an instrument rating and the airplane was not certified for IFR operation. He did not obtain a weather briefing and did not file a flight plan. The pilot told a witness that he planned to 'get above the clouds.' Radar data revealed the airplane was aloft for 1 hour and 43 minutes, but traveled a straight line distance of only 46 miles. Examination of the airplane's ground track revealed several heading changes greater than 270 degrees with three turns of 360 degrees. The airplane came to rest suspended in trees on top of a ridgeline approximately 3,300 feet above sea level.
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: 1,264 hours in all; 260 in this make and model; 8 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,254 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 2, 1997; 27 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: OKV Winchester VA at 3:00 pm
- Destination: LNA West Palm Beach FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 600 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:19 pm from SHD, 20 miles away
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.