Cessna 172 accident near Gadsden, Alabama, November 26, 1993
On November 26, 1993 at about 6:35 pm local time, a Cessna 172, registered N7702U, was substantially damaged in an accident near Gadsden, Alabama. It was a ferry flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S INADEQUATE PRE-FLIGHT PREPARATION AND HIS CONTINUED VISUAL FLIGHT INTO INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS. FACTORS WERE FOG, LOW CEILING, AND HILLY TERRAIN.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 26, 1993 · about 6:35 pm local time
- Place
- Gadsden, Alabama · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N7702U · no longer on the register · serial 17251702
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Ferry flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT WAS POSITIONING THE AIRPLANE IN ORDER TO HAVE AN ANNUAL INSPECTION DONE. NO RECORD WAS FOUND OF A WEATHER BRIEFING FOR THE FLIGHT. AT THE TIME OF DEPARTURE, THE WEATHER REPORTING FACILITY NEAREST THE DESTINATION INDICATED THAT THE CEILING WAS 500 FEET. MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN INTERVENED BETWEEN THE DEPARTURE AIRPORT AND THE DESTINATION. THE PILOT'S LOG INDICATED THAT HE HAD PREVIOUSLY FLOWN TO THE DESTINATION. THE ACCIDENT SITE WAS LOCATED ADJACENT TO AN INTERSTATE HIGHWAY THAT RAN THROUGH A VALLEY BETWEEN TWO RIDGES. THE DIRECTION OF THE WRECKAGE TRAIL SUGGESTED THAT THE PILOT AND REVERSED COURSE, SINCE THE FLIGHT PATH LED AWAY FROM THE DESTINATION. DAMAGE TO THE AIRPLANE DEMONSTRATED THAT IT HAD COLLIDED WITH ELECTRICAL TRANSMISSION WIRES, TREES, AND THE GROUND. LOCAL WITNESSES CONFIRMED THAT THE TOP OF THE IMPACTED RIDGE WAS SHROUDED IN CLOUDS.
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: 2,358 hours in all; 2,351 in this make and model; 19 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 2,158 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,719 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 9, 1992; 47 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BHM Birmingham AL at 4:56 pm
- Destination: 8A0 Albertville AL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:48 pm from ANB, 30 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.