Cessna 172 accident near Marietta, Georgia, February 18, 1983
On February 18, 1983 at about 3:15 pm local time, a Cessna 172, registered N35594, was substantially damaged in an accident near Marietta, Georgia (Mccollum airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 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 18, 1983 · about 3:15 pm local time
- Place
- Marietta, Georgia · Mccollum · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N35594 · no longer on the register · serial 2072426
- 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 AIRCRAFT COLLIDED WITH A PARKED VAN WHILE TAXIING FROM LANDING AT MCCOLLUM AIRPORT,MARIETTA,GA. THE ACFT WAS BEING DEMONSTRATED TO A PROSPECTIVE BUYER WHO WAS IN THE LEFT FRONT SEAT WITH THE OWNER IN THE RIGHT SEAT. AFTER A FLIGHT FROMATLANTA,GA THEY LANDED AT MCCOLLUM. AS THE ACFT NEARED THE TAXIWAY AFTER LANDING THE PILOT STATED HE ATTEMPTED TO TURN TO THE RIGHT AT 5 MPH. RIGHT RUDDER AND PARTIAL RIGHT BRAKE WERE APPLIED BY THE LEFT SEAT PILOT. WHEN IT BECAME APPARENTTHAT THE RADIUS OF TURN WAS TOO LARGE FULL RIGHT BRAKE WAS APPLIED BY BOTH PILOTS WITH REPORTEDLY NO RESPONSE. THE LEFT WING OF THE ACFT STRUCK THE WINDSHIELD OF A VAN PARKED ONE FOOT TO THE LEFT OF THE TAXIWAY. NO MALFUNCTIONS COULD BE FOUND IN THE RIGHT BRAKE OR THE STEERING SYSTEM DURING THE INVESTIGATION. HOWEVER, THE LEFT BRAKE WAS INOPERATIVE AND FLUID WAS LEAKING FROM ITS CYLINDER.
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: 80 hours in all; 7 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days; 29 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,260 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 4, 1982; 74 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: PDK Atlanta GA at 10:00 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 4,580 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:50 pm from FTY, 8 miles away
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 N35594 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.