Cessna 172D accident near Fairhope, Alabama, March 8, 2014
On March 8, 2014 at about 8:00 pm local time, a 1963 Cessna 172D, registered N2755U, was destroyed in an accident during approach (VFR pattern final) near Fairhope, Alabama (H L Sonny Callahan airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain adequate separation from a helicopter during the approach to landing, which resulted in an encounter with the helicopter’s trailing vortices, a loss of airplane control, and impact with terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 8, 2014 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Fairhope, Alabama · H L Sonny Callahan · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172D, built 1963 · all 172Ds on the register
- Registration
- N2755U · no longer on the register · serial 17250355
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that the airplane entered the downwind leg of the traffic pattern behind a large helicopter and that he followed the helicopter closely in the traffic pattern. While on short final approach, the airplane remained behind the helicopter as the helicopter was terminating its approach about three-quarters down the runway. When the airplane was about 30 ft above the approach end of the runway, it banked and pitched suddenly, and it then impacted the ground. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation nor were any found during a postaccident examination of the wreckage. A simulation modeling the helicopter's trailing vortex-generating tendencies showed that vortices of significant strength were likely present at the airplane's reported position at the time of the upset. If the pilot had maintained adequate separation from the large helicopter during the approach to landing, the airplane likely would not have encountered the trailing vortices that caused the loss of airplane control.
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
- Aircraft wake turb encounter during approach (VFR pattern final) defining event
- Loss of control in flight during approach (VFR pattern final)
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
- Fire/smoke (post-impact) during post (impact)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Turbulence › Wake turbulence › Effect on operation
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring other aircraft › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 633 hours in all; 173 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 633 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: September 5, 2013
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,096.8 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 16, 2013; 6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental Motors O-300-D (piston); 2,096 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Gone Broke LLC
The flight
- Departed from: 82J Pensacola FL at 1:40 pm
- Destination: CQF Fairhope AL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 19, 6,604 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.06 inHg
- Observation at 8:00 pm from BFM, 14 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.