Cessna 195A accident near Elberta, Alabama, August 6, 1983
On August 6, 1983 at about 11:45 am local time, a Cessna 195A, registered N9GH, was substantially damaged in an accident near Elberta, Alabama (Horak airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 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
- August 6, 1983 · about 11:45 am local time
- Place
- Elberta, Alabama · Horak · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 195A · all 195As on the register
- Registration
- N9GH · no longer on the register · serial 7714
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT RAN OFF THE DEPARTURE END OF THE RWY INTO A DITCH DURING LANDING. THE LANDING WAS ON A PRIVATE AIRSTRIP WITH A WET GRASS RWY THAT SLOPED DOWNHILL IN THE DIRECTION OF LANDING FOR THE LAST 1/3 OF THE RWY. THE ACFT LANDED ABOUT A QUARTER OF THE WAY DOWN THE RWY AND CONTINUED OFF THE END INTO A 6 FT DEEP DITCH. THERE WERE NO INJURIES TO THE 4 OCCUPANTS.
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; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 3,900 hours in all; 63 in this make and model; 208 in the last 90 days; 3,559 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,340 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 1, 1983; 63 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Jacobs R755 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PNS Pensacola FL at 6:00 am
- Destination: BTR Baton Rouge LA
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 18, 2,500 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 11,000 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:50 am from PNS, 19 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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 N9GH 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.