Cessna 172 accident near Jacksonville, Alabama, August 18, 1987
On August 18, 1987 at about 11:30 pm local time, a Cessna 172, registered N733DQ, was substantially damaged in an accident near Jacksonville, Alabama (Jacksonville airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 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 18, 1987 · about 11:30 pm local time
- Place
- Jacksonville, Alabama · Jacksonville · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N733DQ · no longer on the register · serial 17268218
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT DEPARTED JACKSONVILLE IN VFR CONDS WITHOUT OBTAINING A WX BRIEFING. WHILE EN ROUTE, SHE OBSERVED THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY & ELECTED TO RETURN TO JACKSONVILLE. BY THE TIME SHE RETURNED, THE WX HAD DETERIORATED & THE WIND HAD SHIFTED TO THE SOUTH. THE WIND VELOCITY WAS ESTIMATED TO BE ABOUT 20 KTS SINCE THE WIND SOCK WAS FULLY EXTENDED. DRG A LANDING ON RWY 27, THE ACFT BOUNCED & THE PLT LOST DIRECTIONAL CONTROL. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT HIT A DITCH & WAS DAMAGED. THE PLT OPERG HANDBOOK STATED THAT WITH AVERAGE PLT TECHNIQUE, A DIRECT X-WIND OF 15 KTS COULD BE HANDLED WITH SAFETY. THE PLT EXTIMATED THE WIND WAS GUSTING TO 30 KTS.
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: 80 hours in all; 30 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,220 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 10, 1987; 70 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: Gadsden AL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 3,000 ft by 40 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 20 knots, gusting 30
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.