Cessna 172 accident near Sewanee, Tennessee, August 25, 1998
On August 25, 1998, a Cessna 172, registered N6720A, was involved in an accident near Sewanee, Tennessee (Franklin County Airport). It was a personal flight 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
The inadequate visual lookout by the ground pedestrian. A factor was dark night conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 25, 1998
- Place
- Sewanee, Tennessee · Franklin County Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N6720A · registry record · serial 28820
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Prior to his departure, the pilot informed his girlfriend of his proposed arrival time at the destination airport. After landing, the pilot proceeded to park the airplane on the ramp. The pilot said, he saw his girlfriend standing on a grassy hill on the airport as he taxied to parking. Before the pilot could complete the engine shut down, his girlfriend had started running to the airplane from the left side and continued to the right side of the airplane in front of the turning propeller. The pilot's girlfriend was struck by the turning propeller. Dark night conditions existed at the time.
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: 88 hours in all; 38 in this make and model; 33 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 47 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: VPC Cartersville GA at 10:30 pm
- Destination: UOS
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 24, 3,300 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 360° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.