Cessna 172M accident near Redfield, Arkansas, October 16, 1983
On October 16, 1983 at about 7:45 pm local time, a Cessna 172M, registered N321HR, was destroyed in an accident near Redfield, Arkansas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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
- October 16, 1983 · about 7:45 pm local time
- Place
- Redfield, Arkansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N321HR · no longer on the register · serial 17264440
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AT APRX 1331 CDT, THE PLT ENTERED THE PINE BLUFF FSS STATION & REQUESTED A BRIEFING FOR A VFR FLT TO SPRINGFIELD, MO. HE WAS ADVISED THAT VFR FLT WAS NOT RECOMMENDED. THE PLT RETURNED AGAIN BETWEEN 1335 & 1350 & WAS SEEN EXAMINING THE WX CHARTS. AT APRX 1420, HE TOOK OFF WITHOUT FILING A FLT PLAN & REMAINED BELOW THE CLOUDS DURING DEPARTURE. A SHORT TIME LATER, THE ACFT WAS SEEN FLYING UP THE ARKANSAS RIVER AT LOW ALTITUDE WHERE POWER LINES CROSSED THE RIVER. THE PLT PULLED UP TO CLEAR THE POWER LINES. REPORTEDLY, HE PULLED UP, STALLED, THEN RECOVERED & TURNED AWAY FROM THE RIVER. MOMENTS LATER, IT RETURNED HEADING DOWN RIVER BACK TOWARD THE POWER LINES. REPORTEDLY, IT STALLED AGAIN, IMPACTED THE WATER & SANK. ALL 3 OCCUPANTS DROWNED. THERE WAS EVIDENCE THAT THE FRONT SEAT OCCUPANTS WERE NOT USING THEIR SEAT BELTS & SHOULDER HARNESSES & BOTH HAD RECEIVED TEMPORAL & FACIAL LACERATIONS.
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
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,714 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 28, 1983; 22 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PBF Pine Bluff AR at 7:20 pm
- Destination: Springfield MO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 600 ft; not recorded at 600 ft
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Observation at 6:54 pm from PBF, 21 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| 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.