Cessna 172H accident near Louisville, Georgia, November 13, 1994
On November 13, 1994 at about 3:32 pm local time, a Cessna 172H, registered N8200L, was destroyed in an accident near Louisville, Georgia. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN CLEARANCE FROM TREES DURING A LOW PASS MANEUVER. A FACTOR WAS THE TREES AT THE VICINITY OF THE LOW PASS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 13, 1994 · about 3:32 pm local time
- Place
- Louisville, Georgia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172H · all 172Hs on the register
- Registration
- N8200L · no longer on the register · serial 17256400
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A WITNESS OBSERVED THE AIRCRAFT DESCEND OVER AN OPEN FARM FIELD, AND LEVEL OFF AT ABOUT 25 FEET AGL. THE FIELD WAS BORDERED BY A STAND OF 70 TO 80 FOOT TALL PINE TREES. HE SAW THE AIRCRAFT PULL UP AT THE END OF THE FIELD, AND THE AIRCRAFT COLLIDED WITH THE TREE TOPS. THE RIGHT WING DIPPED, AND THE AIRCRAFT CONTINUED IN A RIGHT, DESCENDING TURN, UNTIL IT CRASHED INTO A SHALLOW POND. AN INSPECTION OF THE WRECKAGE REVEALED AIRCRAFT DAMAGE CONSISTENT WITH A STEEP, NOSE LOW IMPACT WITH THE WATER. NO EVIDENCE OF MECHANICAL FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION WAS FOUND DURING THE EXAMINATION OF THE WRECKAGE.
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, foreign licence, private, student
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: helicopter; rotorcraft: airship
- Flight time: 203 hours in all; 13 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,724 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 6, 1993; 87 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Jefferson County Flyers Club
The flight
- Departed from: 2J3 GA at 3:00 pm
- Destination: 2J3 GA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:56 pm from AGS, 29 miles away
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.