Cessna 172G accident near Coolidge, Georgia, March 11, 1989
On March 11, 1989 at about 11:20 pm local time, a Cessna 172G, registered N1365F, was substantially damaged in an accident near Coolidge, Georgia. It was a ferry 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FUEL CONTAMINATION OF AN UNKNOWN ORIGIN, FAILURE OF COMPANY MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL TO LOCATE AND REMOVE ALL CONTAMINATION, CONTINUED OPERATION OF THE AIRCRAFT BY THE PILOT AFTER THE CAUSE OF A KNOWN ENGINE PROBLEM WAS NOT DETERMINED, AND SUBSEQUENT FUEL STARVATION. THE LIGHT CONDITIONS AT DUSK AND THE SOFT TERRAIN IN THE EMERGENCY LANDING AREA WERE CONTRIBUTING FACTORS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 11, 1989 · about 11:20 pm local time
- Place
- Coolidge, Georgia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172G · all 172Gs on the register
- Registration
- N1365F · registry record · serial 17254860
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Ferry flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ENGINE LOST PWR DURING A FERRY FLT & A FORCED LDG WAS MADE IN A SOFT FIELD, WHERE THE AIRPLANE NOSED OVER. A POST-CRASH INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE CARBURETOR FUEL-INLET FILTER SCREEN WAS MOSTLY BLOCKED WITH A LINT-LIKE MATERIAL. A MICROSCOPIC EXAM OF THE MATERIAL REVEALED THAT IT APPEARED TO BE CLOTH FIBERS. THE SOURCE OF THE MATERIAL WAS NOT DETERMINED. FURTHER INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE ENGINE HAD EXPERIENCED REPEATED, INTERMITTENT PWR LOSSES OVER THE PREVIOUS WEEK IN SPITE OF REPEATED EFFORTS BY COMPANY MECHANICS TO LOCATE THE SOURCE OF THE PROBLEM. ACCORDING TO THE MECHANICS, CONTAMINATION WAS FOUND IN THE FUEL SYSTEM DURING THOSE EFFORTS; THE FILTERS WERE CLEANED AND THE FUEL SYSTEM WAS FLUSHED. THE INTERMITTENT POWER LOSSES OCCURRED AGAIN. EARLIER ON THIS FLT, THE ENGINE BEGAN TO SURGE & A PRECAUTIONARY LDG WAS MADE. THE MECHANIC ACCOMPANYING THE PLT REPORTEDLY FOUND NO PROBLEMS AND THE FLT WAS CONTINUED. THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED ABOUT 1 HR LATER.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,706 hours in all; 149 in this make and model; 107 in the last 90 days; 36 in the last 30 days; 2,590 as pilot in command; 109 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,444 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, January 31, 1989; 56 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Flewellen Aviation, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: X31 Crystal River FL at 10:12 pm
- Destination: ABY Albany GA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ATL89LA102.