Cessna 172M accident near Pinson, Tennessee, February 14, 2014
On February 14, 2014 at about 11:59 pm local time, a 1975 Cessna 172M, registered N194EX, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Pinson, Tennessee. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The noninstrument-rated pilot’s decision to continue flight into deteriorating weather conditions at night and his failure to divert in a timely manner, which resulted in an off-airport precautionary landing and subsequent substantial damage to the airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 14, 2014 · about 11:59 pm local time
- Place
- Pinson, Tennessee · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M M, built 1975 · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N194EX · no longer on the register · serial 17266200
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The noninstrument-rated pilot departed late in the afternoon in marginal visual flight rules (VFR) conditions. After climbing the airplane to the desired cruising altitude, he was forced to descend due to worsening weather conditions to maintain VFR. Shortly after, an air traffic controller advised the pilot that the weather conditions at the destination airport had deteriorated and suggested a diversionary airport. While en route to the diversionary airport in dark night and worsening weather conditions, the pilot chose to perform a precautionary landing to a field. The airplane landed hard in muddy terrain, which resulted in substantial damage to the empennage and right wing and serious injury to the passenger. Examination of the wreckage revealed no preimpact mechanical anomaly that would have precluded normal operation. The copilot seat was found separated from its rails. Maintenance log entries showed compliance with a Federal Aviation Administration airworthiness directive (AD) for inspection of seat rail wear during the airplane's annual inspection 10 months before the accident. Postaccident examination and measurement of the dimensions of the seat rails revealed that they were worn but that they did not exceed the allowable tolerances specified in the AD. According to the passenger, she had unfastened her seat belt and shoulder harness during the flight to retrieve a fallen article on the floor of the cockpit and did not recall if she refastened the seatbelt and shoulder harness before landing.
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
What happened, in order
- VFR encounter with IMC during enroute (cruise)
- Off-field or emergency landing during landing (flare/touchdown)
- Hard landing during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Ceiling/visibility/precip › Below VFR minima › Effect on personnel
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surface › Soft › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 150 hours in all; 150 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 100 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,702 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 4, 2013; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,299 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming 0-320 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SGF Springfield MO at 10:05 pm
- Destination: MSL Muscle Shoals AL
- Flight plan: VFR
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 310° at 12 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,300 ft
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.77 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 pm from MKL, 13 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.