Cessna 175 accident near Tuscaloosa, Alabama, April 3, 1983
On April 3, 1983 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Cessna 175, registered N7588M, was substantially damaged in an accident near Tuscaloosa, Alabama (Tuscaloosa airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was 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
- April 3, 1983 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Tuscaloosa, Alabama · Tuscaloosa
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 175 · all 175s on the register
- Registration
- N7588M · registry record · serial 2072502
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRCRAFT LANDED OFF THE RUNWAY IN SOFT TERRAIN DURING A FORCED LANDING AND NOSED DOWN. ACCORDING TO THE PILOT THE ENGINE BEGAN TO RUN ROUGH AT 400 AGL ON TAKEOFF. HE TURNED BACK TOWARD THE FIELD AND THE ENGINE QUIT. THE PILOT COULD NOT COMPLETE THE TURN TO LINE UP WITH THE RUNWAY SO HE LANDED BESIDE THE RUNWAY AND NOSED DOWN IN THE MUD. INSPECTION SHOWED WATER IN THE CARBURETOR SUMP. THE FUEL FILLER CAPS AND SEALS WERE FOUND TO BE LEAKING. THE AIRCRAFT HAD BEEN PARKED OUTSIDE IN THE RAIN SEVERAL DAYS PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 426 hours in all; 415 in this make and model; 13 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 334 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,039 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 6, 1982; 13 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,350 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental GO-300 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: M26 Red Bay AL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 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.
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.