Cessna 172H accident near Ellijay, Georgia, August 8, 1984
On August 8, 1984 at about 5:45 am local time, a Cessna 172H, registered N3272L, was destroyed in an accident near Ellijay, Georgia (Glimer CO. airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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 8, 1984 · about 5:45 am local time
- Place
- Ellijay, Georgia · Glimer CO. · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172H · all 172Hs on the register
- Registration
- N3272L · no longer on the register · serial 17256172
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE STUDENT PILOT AND PASSENGER WERE ON UNAUTHORIZED FLIGHT IN THE LOCAL AREA AT 0145 WHEN THE ACCIDENT OCCURED. ACCORDING TO THE STUDENT PILOT HE HAD RETURNED FROM A LOCAL FLT, PICKED UP A PAX, DEPARTED AGAIN AND HAD FLOWN FOR 30 TO 45 MINS BEFORE RETURNING TO JASPER FOR LANDING. THE AIRPORT HAD FOGGED IN WHEN THEY RETURNED SO THE PILOT DIVERTED TO A SECOND ARPT. HE MANAGED TO LOCATE THE AIRPORT BUT COULD ONLY SEE TWO GREEN LIGHTS ON ONE OF THE RWY BECAUSE OF FOG OBSCURING THE RUNWAY. THE PLT CONTENDED THE FLT WAS CONDUCTED BY THE AFT OWNER'S SOME WITH OUT HIS PERMISSION.
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: student
- Flight time: 115 hours in all; 15 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,410 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, December 20, 1983; 77 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GA03 Jasper GA at 2:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:50 am from FTY, 52 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.