Cessna 172 N3937F

Summary

On 20 February 1989 at about 01:15 local time, a Cessna 172 registered N3937F was involved in an accident near Blue Mountain, Mississippi, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

20 February 1989 at 01:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Blue Mountain, Mississippi, United States

Coordinates

34.6705, -89.0210

Aircraft

Cessna 172

Registration

N3937F

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Tupelo → Memphis

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

IMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

MIA89FA090

2 people died.

THE CONTINUATION OF A VFR FLIGHT INTO NIGHT, INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS AND THE SPATIAL DISORIENTATION OF THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PILOT. CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WERE THE ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS AND THE OVERCONFIDENCE OF THE PILOT.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

THE NON-INST RATED PLT & HIS WIFE LANDED SHORT OF THEIR DEST DUE TO ADVERSE WX DURING DAYLIGHT HRS. HE ELECTED TO CONTINUE THE FLT AFTER DARK IN WORSENING WX IN SPITE OF BEING ADVISED BY A PLT WHO HAD JUST FLOWN THE ROUTE THAT THE WX WAS NOT GOOD & THE WIFE BEGGING HIM NOT TO CONTINUE. THE WRECKAGE WAS LOCATED 2 DAYS LATER WHERE IT HAD CRASHED IN A STEEP NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE INTO A SPARSELY POPULATED, RURAL, WOODED AREA. A WITNESS LOCATED ABOUT 9 MILES FROM THE CRASH SITE HAD OBSERVED AN ACFT FLYING AT ABOUT 200 FEET IN THE DIRECTION OF THE CRASH SITE, ALONG HWY 78, AT ABOUT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. THE PLT HAD LESS THAN 1 HR SIMULATED INSTRUMENT FLT TIME & NONE SINCE HE TOOK HIS PVT FLT TEST ABOUT 18 MONTHS PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.