Cessna 172F accident near Madisonville, Tennessee, June 12, 2004
On June 12, 2004 at about 5:15 pm local time, a Cessna 172F, registered N8777U, was destroyed in an accident near Madisonville, Tennessee. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed while maneuvering on a touch and go landing resulting in a stall and collision with the ground.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 12, 2004 · about 5:15 pm local time
- Place
- Madisonville, Tennessee · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172F · all 172Fs on the register
- Registration
- N8777U · no longer on the register · serial 17252681
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot returned to the airport and reported on the UNICOM radio that he was on downwind for a touch-and-go landing on runway 23. No other communication was received from the pilot. The airplane wreckage was located at 1655 by a landing pilot 0.3 of a mile south southwest of the airport. Examination of the airframe revealed the right wing was separated from its aft spar attachment point. Accordion crushing was present on the right wing 8 feet outboard of the wing root extending outboard to the wing tip. The left wing remained attached to its fore and aft wing spar attachment points. The leading edge of the wing was not damaged. Examination of the flight controls and engine assembly and accessories revealed no anomalies. Review of the Model 172 and Skyhawk Owner's Manual, Figure 5-2, Power Off Stalling Speeds revealed at a gross weight of 2,300 pounds with flaps up the airplane will stall at 57 miles per hour (MPH) with 0-degrees flap.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 127 hours in all; 104 in this make and model; 16 in the last 90 days; 43 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 2, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,251.5 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 8, 2004; 48.4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MNV Madisonville TN at 4:20 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 12,000 ft; scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.02 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from CHA, 50 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.