Cessna 172P accident near Gallatin, Tennessee, October 9, 1982
On October 9, 1982 at about 3:51 am local time, a Cessna 172P, registered N5313K, was destroyed in an accident near Gallatin, Tennessee. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed and 1 person had minor injuries. 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
- October 9, 1982 · about 3:51 am local time
- Place
- Gallatin, Tennessee
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172P · all 172Ps on the register
- Registration
- N5313K · no longer on the register · serial 17274059
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
CESSNA 172P, N5313K CRASHED INTO A DENSELY WOODED AREA DURING THE INITIAL PORTION OF CROSS-COUNTRY FLIGHT. THE PILOT AND HIS WIFE WERE KILLED BUT AN INFANT SON SURVIVED. WEATHER WAS NOT A FACTOR.
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: 152 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 772 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 74 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Gallatin TN at 10:30 pm
- Destination: Fayetteville TN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 180° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,000 ft; scat at 3,500 ft
- Temperature: 162°F (72°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.