Cessna 172N accident near Tuscaloosa, Alabama, December 23, 1984
On December 23, 1984 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N1947F, was substantially damaged in an accident near Tuscaloosa, Alabama (Tuscaloosca airport). It was an instructional 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
- December 23, 1984 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Tuscaloosa, Alabama · Tuscaloosca · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N1947F · registry record · serial 172N73037
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT VEERED TO THE LEFT DURING THE TAKEOFF GROUND RUN. THE ACFT DEPARTED THE RWY INTO A SOFT, PLOWED FIELD WHERE IT MOMENTARILY NOSED DOWN BEFORE COMING TO REST ON THE MAIN LANDING GEAR.
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: 34 hours in all; 34 in this make and model; 22 in the last 90 days; 13 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,401 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 24, 1984; 91 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TCL Tuscaloosa AL
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 22, 6,500 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 7 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:52 pm from TCL
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.