Cessna 172K accident near Millhaven, Georgia, June 23, 1983
On June 23, 1983 at about 7:40 am local time, a Cessna 172K, registered N78160, was substantially damaged in an accident near Millhaven, Georgia. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured. 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
- June 23, 1983 · about 7:40 am local time
- Place
- Millhaven, Georgia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172K · all 172Ks on the register
- Registration
- N78160 · no longer on the register · serial 17257506
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT & HIS SON TOOK OFF AT NIGHT TO PARTICIPATE IN THE SEARCH FOR A DOWNED ACFT. SUBSEQUENTLY, THEY FOUND THE BURNING WRECKAGE OF THE DOWNED PLANE. THEY SAW PEOPLE MOVING AROUND THE ACCIDENT SCENE & MADE A PASS OVER IT BY DIVING WITH THE LANDING LIGHT ON. DURING THE DIVE, LIGHT FROM THE LANDING LIGHT WAS REFLECTED BACK INTO THEIR EYES BY FOG. THE PLT THEN CLIMBED TO AN ALT WHERE HE COULD COMMUNICATE WITH THE UNICOM AT ALLENDALE, GA. ACCORDING TO THE PLT'S SON, THEY THEN MADE A SECOND PASS OVER THE DOWNED ACFT. DURING THE SECOND PASS, THE ACFT STRUCK TREES & CRASHED. THE PLT'S SON STATED THAT DURING THE SECOND PASS, HE WAS UNABLE TO SEE ANYTHING WHEN THE LIGHT WAS AGAIN REFLECTING BACK. HE ALSO SAID HE WAS NOT AWARE THAT THEY WERE GETTING SO LOW. A TOXICOLOGICAL CHECK OF THE PLT'S BLOOD REVEALED AN ALCOHOL LEVEL OF 0.11%.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 23,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,355 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 2, 1983; 100 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 88J Allendale SC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 050° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded at 2,800 ft; scat at 400 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:50 am from SAV, 60 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 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.