Cessna 172 accident near Hamilton, Alabama, December 20, 1984
On December 20, 1984 at about 2:15 am local time, a Cessna 172, registered N4093F, was destroyed in an accident near Hamilton, Alabama (Marion County airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 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
- December 20, 1984 · about 2:15 am local time
- Place
- Hamilton, Alabama · Marion County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N4093F · no longer on the register · serial 36993
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
INITIATED NIGHT FLT INTO AREA OF FORECAST AND OBSERVED MARGINAL VFR CONDITIONS. EXPECTED TO ENCOUNTER 1200 FT CEILING. PLT STATED TO FSS BRIEFER HE WOULD GO AS FAR AS HE COULD. ENCOUNTERED AREA OF PATCHY GRND FOG, REDUCED VISIBILITY, NO HORIZON AHEAD. ELECTED TO DESCEND TO 1000 FT MSL AND INITIATE A 180 DEG TURN. STRUCK TREES AT 750 FT MSL. PLT HAD NO ACTUAL INSTRUMENT TRAINING AND APRX 5 HRS OF SIMULATED INSTRUMENT TIME. THE OUTBOARD REAR SEATBELT ATTACHMENT RING ORIENTED REARWARD, FAILED IN BENDING ALLOWING THE REAR SEAT PAX TO BE EJECTED FROM THE ACFT.
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: 195 hours in all; 123 in this make and model; 36 in the last 90 days; 13 in the last 30 days; 152 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,050 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 1, 1984; 150 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 47A Canton GA
- Destination: HAB Hamilton AL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0, 6,500 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Sky: overcast; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 8:15 pm
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 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.
Other NTSB records under N4093F 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.