Cessna 175A accident near Panama City Bch, Florida, June 22, 1997
On June 22, 1997 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Cessna 175A, registered N6844E, was substantially damaged in an accident near Panama City Bch, Florida (Buchanan Stolport airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
failure of the pilot to account for the reduced braking effectiveness on the wet/grass airstrip, which resulted in an overrun and encounter with a ditch. Factors relating to the accident were: failure of the pilot to obtain weather information before departure, the short/wet landing strip, and the ditch that was encountered.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 22, 1997 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Panama City Bch, Florida · Buchanan Stolport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 175A · all 175As on the register
- Registration
- N6844E · no longer on the register · serial 56344
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot took off without checking the weather and flew to Panama City Beach with a banner. After arriving at the beach, which was about 10 miles away, the pilot received a report over the radio that there were thunderstorms in the area. He decided to return to the departure airstrip. After waiting for showers to pass over the strip, the pilot dropped his banner, and lined up for landing. He said the landing approach seemed normal until he attempted to brake after touchdown. The brakes were ineffective, and the pilot was unable to stop on the 1000 foot, wet, grass strip. The airplane went off the departure end of the strip and into a ditch.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 528 hours in all; 179 in this make and model; 128 in the last 90 days; 85 in the last 30 days; 437 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 20, 1997; 63 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,350 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A1D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FA07 FL at 7:35 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 1,000 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 3 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 5,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:00 pm from PFN, 1 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.