- Date
- April 4, 1983, 21:50 local (Apr 5, 1983, 02:50 UTC)
- Place
- Spartanburg, SC
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N8253UCessna 172
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19830404013099A
- Case key
- 5902
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
According to the plt's son, who was a passenger, the plt had made a final approach lineup on the wrong set of lights. Realizing the mistake, the plt initiated a go-around at aprx 200 ft AGL. However, the eng lost power. During an emergency landing at night, the plt saw power lines & pulled the nose up to avoid a collision, but was too late. The stall warning horn sounded & the acft crashed in a nose down attitude. A power line was found wrapped around the fuselage & tail section. Aprx 7 gal of fuel was remaining. An exam of the acft & subsystems failed to disclose any preimpact failure or malfunction. The acft had been retrofitted with front seat shoulder restraint systems. Despite the extensive damage of the afct, which included rearward displacement of the eng, the plt received only facial injuries & the passengers received only minor to no injuries. The temp & dew point were 50 & 38 deg. Icing probability charts indicated carb icing was possible, but the positon of carb heat on final, not verified.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8253U
- Reported as
- Cessna 172
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17252153
- Airframe hours
- 1,944
- Engine
- Lycoming O-300-D, 145 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Robert C. Schaeffer
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 1, 1983 · 4 hours before
- Departed
- OSU · Columbus, OH
- Airport
- Spartanburg Downtown, runway 22, 5,203 × 100 ft, asphalt
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
- 41
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Unknown
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 99 total · 8 in this make and model · 55 as pilot in command · 5 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 50 °F, dew point 37 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- GSP
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.