Cessna 172 accident near Yankton, South Dakota, November 17, 1983
On November 17, 1983 at about 2:15 pm local time, a Cessna 172, registered N52419, was involved in an accident near Yankton, South Dakota (Chan Gurney airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 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 NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 17, 1983 · about 2:15 pm local time
- Place
- Yankton, South Dakota · Chan Gurney · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N52419 · registry record · serial 17274512
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT STATED THE ENG WOULDN'T START & HE SUSPECTED A DEAD SPOT ON THE STARTER. HE THEN ASKED A MECHANIC TO ROTATE THE PROP. ALL SWITCHES WERE OFF EXCEPT THE BATTERY SWITCH. WHEN THE MECHANIC MOVED THE PROP THE ENG STARTED & THE PROP STRUCK THE MECHANIC. EXAMINATION OF THE ACFT'S IGNITION WIRING REVEALED THAT THE RIGHT MAGNETO 'P' LEAD WAS INCORRECTLY CONNECTED TO THE GROUND TERMINAL CAUSING THE RIGHT MAGNETO TO BE OPEN, OR HOT.
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 multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine
- Flight time: 2,650 hours in all; 600 in this make and model; 70 in the last 90 days; 2,350 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,105 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 1, 1982; 45 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: SD47 Eagle Butte SD
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Wind: from 320° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
Other NTSB records under N52419 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.