NTSB NYC83FNC09 — 1983-08-04 · ENOSBURG FALLS, Vermont, United States

N5326R has since been reassigned. It is now registered to a different aircraft (PIPER PA-32R-301, built 2001), which was not involved in this event.

Aircraft involved

N5326R Cessna 172 Serious

Factual narrative

THE PLT REPORTED THAT WHEN HE WAS ON FINAL TO LAND ON A DARK NIGHT, THE ACFT HAD ELECTRICAL FAILURE & HE HAD NO LIGHTS. HE REPORTED THAT THIS OCCURRED WHEN HE HAD STARTED HIS FLARE & THAT WAS ALL HE COULD REMEMBER UNTIL AFTER HE HAD REGAINED CONSCIOUSNESS AFTER THE ACCIDENT. WITNESSES REPORTED THAT THE PLT MADE 3 ATTEMPTS TO LAND. AFTER THE 3RD ATTEMPT, THE ACFT CRASHED INTO A SMALL BUILDING, LOCATED APRX 75 FT SOUTH OF RWY 27. THE RWY WAS UNLIGHTED. IT WAS BORDERED ALONG THE SOUTH SIDE BY A ROW OF MOBILE HOMES & PARKED ACRFT. REPORTEDLY, THE PLT HAD LANDED THERE BEFORE AT NIGHT WHILE THE MOBILE HOME LIGHTS WERE ON, BUT DURING THIS LANDING (AT APRX 0230 EDT), THE LIGHTS WERE NOT ON. FIVE HOURS AFTER THE ACCIDENT, THE PILOT'S BLOOD ALCOHOL LEVEL WAS 0.043%. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1983_NYC83FNC09.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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