Cessna 172 N92042

Summary

On 20 November 1997 at about 01:00 local time, a Cessna 172 registered N92042, operated by Donald J. Rauch, was involved in an accident near Salem, Indiana, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

20 November 1997 at 01:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Salem, Indiana, United States

Nearest airport

Salem Municipal (I83)

Coordinates

38.6002, -86.0905

Aircraft

Cessna 172

Registration

N92042

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Donald J. Rauch

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Evansville → Wilmington

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Bright

NTSB number

CHI98LA040

1 person was seriously injured.

the pilot's misjudgment of distance and altitude, while on final approach to land at night. Factors relating to the accident included: an undetermined electrical malfunction, inoperative flaps, darkness, the pilot not using the landing light, and the proximity of trees to the runway.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot had topped off the fuel at Evansville, Indiana, before continuing on to Wilmington, Ohio. The alternator circuit breaker popped during climb out and he reset it. After flying approximately twenty minutes, the pilot saw smoke curling from under the instrument panel. Louisville Approach gave the pilot radar vectors to Salem, Indiana. The pilot activated the runway lights, but he did not turn on the airplane's landing lights. He tried to lower the flaps, but they did not operate. He reported that he thought he was high enough, but got too low, and the airplane hit trees. The airplane came to rest about 1,000 feet east of the airport. There were indications that the airplane's left wing had impacted a tree, and the airplane had spun around. Both propeller blades had leading edge and chordwise scratching. The airplane's electrical system was examined, but the reason for the electrical malfunction was not determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.