Cessna 172B accident near Coushatta, Louisiana, January 25, 1985
On January 25, 1985 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172B, registered N7718X, was substantially damaged in an accident near Coushatta, Louisiana (The Red River airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. 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
- January 25, 1985 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Coushatta, Louisiana · The Red River · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172B · all 172Bs on the register
- Registration
- N7718X · no longer on the register · serial 17248218
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS ON ITS 1ST FLT FOLLOWING MAINTENANCE FOR A PREVIOUS NOSE GEAR SHIMMY PROBLEM. WHEN THE STUDENT MADE HIS 1ST ATTEMPT TO LAND, HE NOTICED THAT THE NOSE GEAR SEEMED TO BE COCKED, SO HE ABORTED THE LANDING. ON THE 2ND ATTEMPT, THE ACFT SWERVED TO THE RIGHT WHEN THE NOSE GEAR TOUCHED DOWN, THEN GROUND LOOPED INTO A DITCH & CAME TO REST UPSIDE DOWN. AN EXAM REVEALED THAT ONE OF THE NOSE GEAR CLAMP BOLTS WAS MISSING & A 2ND BOLT WAS LOOSE. THIS ALLOWED THE NOSE GEAR STRUT TO PIVOT.
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: student
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 64 hours in all; 30 in this make and model; 18 in the last 90 days; 19 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,730 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 13, 1984
- Maximum gross weight: 2,075 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: F33 Shreveport LA at 8:20 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 5,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 7,000 ft; not recorded at 7,000 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 pm from SHV, 40 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.