Cessna 172F accident near Millry, Alabama, September 15, 1982
On September 15, 1982 at about 5:30 pm local time, a Cessna 172F, registered N8423U, was substantially damaged in an accident near Millry, Alabama. It was a ferry flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 15, 1982 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- Millry, Alabama · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172F · all 172Fs on the register
- Registration
- N8423U · no longer on the register · serial 17252323
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Ferry flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT EXPERIENCED A PARTIAL LOSS OF POWER DURING A FERRY FLIGHT AND WAS FORCED TO MAKE AN EMERGENCY LANDING IN A FIELD. HE STATED THAT HE NOTED 4 VIBRATIONS FOLLOWED BY A MISSING IN THE ENGINE. THE RPM DROPPED TO 1200 AND HE COULD NOT MAINTAIN ALTITUDE. OCCASIONALLY, BY PUMPING THE THROTTLE HE WAS ABLE TO INCREASE THE RPM ABOVE 1200. EXAMINATION REVEALED A SEPARATION OF THE RIGHT EXHAUST FLAME TUBE WHICH SUBSEQUENTLY CAUSED A POWER LOSS.
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: 796 hours in all; 529 in this make and model; 2 in the last 90 days; 736 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,259 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MOB AL at 11:29 am
- Destination: 23A AL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 189°F (87°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
Other NTSB records under N8423U the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.