Cessna 182 accident near Rocky Face, Georgia, April 5, 1983
On April 5, 1983 at about 5:56 pm local time, a Cessna 182, registered N7439N, was destroyed in an accident near Rocky Face, Georgia. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. 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
- April 5, 1983 · about 5:56 pm local time
- Place
- Rocky Face, Georgia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182 · all 182s on the register
- Registration
- N7439N · no longer on the register · serial 18263217
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING TWO WX BRIEFINGS THE PLT WAS ADVISED THAT WX ENROUTE WOULD BE MARGINAL VMC TO IMC. HE WAS GIVEN A CONVECTIVE SIGMET COVERING TENESSEE & NORTH CAROLINA. THERE WAS A POSSIBILITY OF THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY, LOW CEILING & VISIBILITY, HIGH SURFACE WINDS, TURBULENCE, ICING & MOUNTAINS OBSCURED. NUMEROUS PLTS HAD CANCELLED FLTS DUE TO THE SEVERITY OF THE WX. AT 1251 THE PLT DEPARTED CHATTANOOGA AT WHICH TIME HE WAS ADVISED OF A THUNDERSTORM CELL BETWEEN HIS POSITION & DALTON, GA MOVING NNE & COULD POSSIBLY BE ALONG HIS INTENDED ROUTE OF FLT. ABOUT 5 MINUTES LATER THE ACFT IMPACTED A RIDGE.
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: 1,500 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,800 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 21, 1983; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-S (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Aviation Supply Company
The flight
- Departed from: CHA Chattanooga TN at 5:43 pm
- Destination: FTY Dalton GA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 4,500 ft; scat at 700 ft
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:49 pm from CHA, 19 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.