Cessna 172N accident near Hartford, Alabama, May 26, 1994
On May 26, 1994 at about 2:40 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N73846, was substantially damaged in an accident near Hartford, Alabama (Holman Field). It was an instructional 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 STUDENT PILOT'S INADEQUATE COMPENSATION FOR GUSTING WIND CONDITIONS DURING THE APPROACH TO LAND. FACTORS WERE THE INSTRUCTOR PILOT'S INADEQUATE SUPERVISION OF HIS STUDENT, THE GUSTING WIND CONDITIONS, AND THE TREES LOCATED IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THE RUNWAY.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 26, 1994 · about 2:40 pm local time
- Place
- Hartford, Alabama · Holman Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N73846 · registry record · serial 17267717
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE DUAL STUDENT AND HIS INSTRUCTOR WERE IN THE TRAFFIC PATTERN FOR LANDING AT A PRIVATE, GRASS AIRSTRIP. THE STUDENT WAS AT THE CONTROLS. WHILE ON SHORT FINAL, A GUST OF WIND WAS ENCOUNTERED, WHICH RESULTED IN A DRIFT TO THE RIGHT. FULL POWER WAS ADDED BY BOTH PILOTS, AND A GO-AROUND WAS INITIATED. DURING THE GO-AROUND, THE RIGHT WING TIP CONTACTED TREES. CONTROL OF THE AIRPLANE WAS LOST, AND THE AIRPLANE CRASHED INTO THE ROOF OF A MOBILE HOME WHICH WAS LOCATED ADJACENT TO THE RUNWAY. AT A NEARBY AIRPORT, SURFACE WINDS WERE REPORTED TO BE FROM 250 DEGREES AT 11 KNOTS, WITH GUSTS TO 16 KNOTS. THE PILOTS REPORTED THAT WHILE IN THE TRAFFIC PATTERN PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT, THEY OBSERVED THE WIND SOCK INDICATING VARIABLE WIND DIRECTIONS, AND THE SOCK WAS 'STRAIGHT OUT.'
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,430 hours in all; 500 in this make and model; 32 in the last 90 days; 14 in the last 30 days; 1,944 as pilot in command; 82 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,155 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 1, 1993; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CEW Crestview FL at 1:55 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 26, 1,650 ft by 60 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 11 knots, gusting 16
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:55 pm from OZR, 21 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.