Cessna 172P accident near Near Maider, North Carolina, November 27, 1982
On November 27, 1982 at about 5:24 am local time, a Cessna 172P, registered N53460, was destroyed in an accident near Near Maider, North Carolina. It was a personal 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
- November 27, 1982 · about 5:24 am local time
- Place
- Near Maider, North Carolina · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172P · all 172Ps on the register
- Registration
- N53460 · registry record · serial 17274755
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT CRASHED INTO TREES 6 MILES EAST OF MAIDEN, NC IN DETERIORATING WEATHER. WITNESSES DESCRIBED THE WEATHER AS RAINY AND FOGGY IN THE AREA OF CRASH. SOME HEARD THE AIRCRAFT FLYING LOW BEFORE COLLIDING WITH TREES. THE PILOT WAS OFF COURSE FOR STATESVILLE EVEN AFTER BEING GIVEN A HEADING STEER BY HICKORY, NC. WHEN HE DID NOT FOLLOW THE COURSE TO STATESVILLE, THE HICKORY RADIO OPERATORS TRIED TO STEER HIM TO HICKORY ON A HEADING OF 305 DEGREES. HE SAID HE WAS ESTABLISHED ON THIS HEADING. THIS WAS AT 2003. NO FURTHER TRANSMISSIONS FROM N53460 WERE RECEIVED. ABOUT 22 MI NORTHWEST AT HICKORY, NC, THE WEATHER WAS REPORTED AS 2000 FT OVC, 7 MI VIS WITH FOG. A LOCAL RESIDENT STATED THAT IT WAS RAINING, FOGGY AND DARK AT THE ACCIDENT SITE.
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: 156 hours in all; 32 in this make and model; 8 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 122 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 553 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 34 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2J (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: VDI Vidalia GA
- Destination: SVH Statesville NC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 060° at 5 knots
- Sky: overcast at 2,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 124°F (51°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 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.
Other NTSB records under N53460 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.