- Date
- June 7, 1982, 17:00 local (22:00 UTC)
- Place
- Thomasville, GA
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N13687Cessna 172M
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 7, 1983
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19820607024479A
- Case key
- 72812
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The aircraft was being operated on a business flight for the purpose of surveying farm crops in the area. At about 1700 EDT, it crashed into a 20 acre farm lake while on a westerly heading. The weather was reported as clear, visibility 6 to 7 miles with haze, temperature 90 degrees, and the wind was calm. Reportedly, the lake had a glassy surface. There were 3 witnesses that were fishing from a boat near the center of the lake. They reported that the aircraft passed along the south side of the lake on an easterly heading, circled and descended near the southeast corner of the lake, then came out of the turn and headed toward their boat. Witnesses estimated that the aircraft flew 10 to 30 feet over the boat, then struck the water with no change in engine sound. Divers found no bodies in the cockpit, the seat belt and shoulder harness were found hanging loose with no damage and no evidence of being latched during impact. An examination of the engine and aircraft revealed no preimpact failures.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N13687
- Reported as
- Cessna 172M
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17262944
- Airframe hours
- 546
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E20, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Part 91
- Operator
- Maxwell Ford Tractor Co.
- Registered owner
- Maxwell Ford Tractor Co.
- Departed
- Valdosta, GA
- Destination
- Valdosta, GA
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 22
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 1,500 total · 113 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Temperature
- 194 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.