Cessna 172M accident near Alabaster, Alabama, June 4, 1982
On June 4, 1982 at about 2:20 pm local time, a Cessna 172M, registered N5443H, was destroyed in an accident near Alabaster, Alabama. 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
- June 4, 1982 · about 2:20 pm local time
- Place
- Alabaster, Alabama · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N5443H · no longer on the register · serial 172-65441
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AT 0755, THE PLT CONTACTED BIRMINGHAM APPROACH CONTROL & REPORTED 35 MI SOUTH AT 2,000 FT. HE WAS ADVISED OF THE BHM WX & THAT IT WAS IFR AT THE ARPT. THE PILOT STATED HE WOULD LIKE TO LAND AT ANOTHER ARPT & WAS GIVEN HIS APPROXIMATE POSITION TO THREE ARPTS. AT 0808 RADAR CONTACT WAS ESTABLISHED APPROXIMATELY 6 MI SW OF SHELBY COUNTY ARPT. THE PLT THENADVISED THAT HE WAS MANEUVERING VFR. AT 0811, THE PLT ADVISED HE WAS TURNING SOUTH TO FIND BETTER VFR WX. THE ACFT CRASHED ABOUT 7 MI WSW OF THE SHELBY COUNTY ARPT. THE CONTROLLER WORKING THE ACFT NOTIFIED THE TEAM SUPERVISOR OF LOSS OF RADIO & RADAR CONTACT, WHO THEN NOTIFIED THE DEPUTY CHIEF. AT 0845, THE TOWER CHIEF DIRECTED THAT PRELIMINARY ACCIDENT NOTIFICATION PROCEDURES NOT BE IMPLEMENTED. AT 1400, THREE PERSONNEL FROM THE BHM TOWER, INCLUDING THE CONTROLLER WHO WAS WORKING THE ACFT & HAD REQUESTED 2 HRS ANNUAL LEAVE TO ASSIST, INITIATED SEARCH ACTIONS ON THEIR OWN,& LOCATED THE WRECKAGE AT 1510.
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
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,013 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: Mobile AL at 6:27 am
- Destination: Birmingham AL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 8 knots
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 156°F (69°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:20 am from BHN, 25 miles away
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.