Beech H18 accident near Talladega, Alabama, February 11, 1983
On February 11, 1983 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Beech H18, registered N1461G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Talladega, Alabama (Talladega Municipal airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. 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
- February 11, 1983 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Talladega, Alabama · Talladega Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech H18 · all H18s on the register
- Registration
- N1461G · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT STATED THAT SHORTLY AFTER FULL POWER APPLICATION & PRIOR TO TAILWHEEL LIFT-OFF, THE 'RIGHT WING RAISED APRX 3 TO 4 FT INTO THE AIR.' THE ACFT THEN BEGAN DRIFTING LEFT. DURING ENSUING MANEUVERS, THE PLT ALTERNATELY ADVANCED & RETARDED THE THROTTLE AS THE ACFT CROSSED A DITCH & A PARALLEL TAXIWAY. SUBSEQUENTLY, IT SLID INTO MUD, OFF THE LEFT SIDE OF THE TAXIWAY & THE LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED. THE PLT STATED THE WIND WAS FROM THE NORTH-NORTHWEST AT 5 TO 6 KTS. APRX 25 MI NORTH-NORTHEAST AT ANNISTON, AL, THE WIND WAS FROM 030 DEG AT 8 KTS.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 10,800 hours in all; 850 in this make and model; 240 in the last 90 days; 9,600 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 88 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme; 39 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 9,900 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W R-985-AN14B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: M81 Smyrna TN
- Runway 3, 6,000 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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 N1461G 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.