Cessna 172M accident near Brookwood, Alabama, February 16, 2024
On February 16, 2024 at about 4:29 pm local time, a 1975 Cessna 172M, registered N9160H, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering (low-alt flying) near Brookwood, Alabama. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to see and avoid powerlines while maneuvering at low altitude.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 16, 2024 · about 4:29 pm local time
- Place
- Brookwood, Alabama · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M, built 1975 · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N9160H · registry record · serial 17265984
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Witnesses reported the airplane was flying low over a river with the engine operating at a high rpm when it collided with a set of powerlines about 60-80 ft above the ground. The airplane descended into the river and sank, resulting in substantial damage to the airplane and fatal injury to the pilot. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Although an autopsy of the pilot revealed hypertensive and arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease, given the airplane’s low and level flight before the collision a cardiac event was unlikely to have contributed to the accident.
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
- Low altitude operation/event during maneuvering (low-alt flying) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Identification/recognition › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring environment › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Wire › Awareness of condition
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: unmanned (suas)
- Flight time: 2,488.4 hours in all; 768.9 in this make and model; 107 in the last 90 days; 18.2 in the last 30 days; 2,464.2 as pilot in command; 1,187.7 on instruments
- Last flight review: February 15, 2024
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TCL Tuscaloosa AL
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 2000° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 20,000 ft; a few clouds at 4,200 ft
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 3007.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 am from BHM, 47 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ERA24LA114.