Cessna 172M accident near Ahoskie, North Carolina, November 27, 1984
On November 27, 1984 at about 5:30 pm local time, a Cessna 172M, registered N12946, was destroyed in an accident near Ahoskie, North Carolina (Tri County airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was 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
- November 27, 1984 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- Ahoskie, North Carolina · Tri County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N12946 · no longer on the register · serial 17262392
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE ON A NIGHT VFR LOCAL AREA FLIGHT THE PILOT NOTICED HAZE OBSCURING THE LIGHTS ON THE GROUND. HE RETURNED TO THE AIRPORT AND ACTIVATED THE REIL LIGHTS, HE LOST SIGHT OF THE LIGHTS AS HE ENTERED THE TRAFFIC PATTERN. DURING THE LEFT TURN TO BASE, HE ENTERED FOG AND BECAME DISORIENTED AND ATTEMPTED A GO-AROUND. THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED SOME TREES BUT WAS STILL CONTROLLABLE. THE PILOT ATTEMPTED TO MAKE ANOTHER APPROACH BUT AGAIN BECAME DISORIENTED AND THE ACFTIMPACTED THE GROUND ON THE AIRPORT BUT HEADING ABOUT 120 DEGREES LEFT OF THE INTENDED RWY. THE PILOT REPORTED ONLY 3 HOURS OF SIMULATED INSTRUMENT TIME.
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; 180 in this make and model; 23 in the last 90 days; 166 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 824 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 22, 1984; 58 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E20 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ASJ Ahoskie NC at 4:30 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 3,950 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 am from EWN, 74 miles away
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.