Cessna 172N accident near Francisco, North Carolina, March 20, 1982
On March 20, 1982 at about 6:00 am local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N738QS, was destroyed in an accident near Francisco, North Carolina. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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
- March 20, 1982 · about 6:00 am local time
- Place
- Francisco, North Carolina · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N738QS · registry record · serial 17270160
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PILOT RECEIVED A PARTIAL WEATHER BRIEFING BY TELEPHONE, BUT HUNG UP WHEN HE OBTAINED THE INFORMATION THAT HE REQUESTED. FBO PERSONNEL STATED THAT HE LOOKED AND ACTED TIRED BEFORE TAKING OFF AT 0022 EST. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE PLANE WAS REPORTED AS MISSING. AN AIRBORNE SEARCH WAS STARTED AT 0700 AND THE PLANE WAS FOUND AT 0730. A LOCAL RESIDENT HAD HEARD A CRASH AT ABOUT 0100, BUT HE THOUGHT IT WAS AN AUTOMOBILE ON A NEARBY ROAD. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED THERE WERE LOW CEILINGS WITH FOG AND HAZE IN THE AREA. AN EXAMINATION OF THE WRECKAGE REVEALEDTHAT THE PLANE HAD CRASHED IN A STEEP DIVE.
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: 373 hours in all; 317 in this make and model; 24 in the last 90 days; 323 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,473 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 543 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GSO Greensboro NC
- Destination: BCB Christiansburg VA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 060° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.
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.