- Date
- January 21, 1989, 12:03 local (18:03 UTC)
- Place
- Hartsville, TN
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N5834ACessna 172
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 22, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890121000939A
- Case key
- 7875
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot allowing the aircraft to lift-off prematurly at a slow airspeed and his failure to maintain directional control before inadvertently entering a stall. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's experience level and lack of qualifications.
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
Takeoff was from a private strip in a cow pasture. The 1st half of the strip was on the crown of a hill. It sloped down past the mid-point of the rwy. The pax in the rear seat survived & rpted that during takeoff the airplane hit a little ditch, became airborne, turned left, & climbed with a nose high attitude. The eng 'did not miss a lick,' he said. The plt's wife watched the takeoff & said when the acft lifted off the ground it started a left turn & then collided with a tree about 300 yards from the lift-off point. After the collision the airplane continued to turn left & hit the ground nose first, vertically. Examination of the aircraft and engine did not reveal any pre-impact malfunctions that would have affected the flight.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5834A
- Reported as
- Cessna 172
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28434
- Airframe hours
- 3,257
- Engine
- Continental O-300-B, 145 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Harold Wayne Gregory
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 1, 1988 · 6 hours before
- Airport
- Private, runway 27, 1,320 × ft, grass/turf
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
- 42
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 33 total · 33 in this make and model · 21 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 60° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 39 °F, dew point 18 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- BNA, 30 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.