Cessna 172RG accident near Gainesville, Florida, April 10, 1983
On April 10, 1983 at about 1:20 am local time, a Cessna 172RG, registered N6418V, was destroyed in an accident near Gainesville, Florida. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was 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
- April 10, 1983 · about 1:20 am local time
- Place
- Gainesville, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172RG · all 172RGs on the register
- Registration
- N6418V · no longer on the register · serial C172RG0679
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT CRASHED ABOUT 8 MILES FROM THE INTENDED DESTINATION DURING WEATHER ON A DARK NIGHT. THE PLT HAD GONE OUTBOUND THAT AFTERNOON WITH TWO PASSENGERS WHO DID NOT RETURN WITH HIM BECAUSE OF MOTION SICKNESS. ACCORDING TO THE ONE OF HIS FORMER INSTRUCTORS THE PLT HAD A TENDENCY TO 'PRESS THE WEATHER.' HE HAD BEEN ADVISED NOT TO FLY ON THIS DAY AND HIS RELATIVES ASKED HIM NOT TO TRY THE RETURN TRIP BECAUSE OF DARKNESS AND WEATHER. HE WENT ANYWAY BECAUSE OF AN IMPENDING TRIP THE NEXT DAY.
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
- Flight time: 530 hours in all; 500 in this make and model; 130 in the last 90 days; 13 in the last 30 days; 478 as pilot in command; 11 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 368 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 12, 1983; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-F1A6 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Cedar Key FL
- Destination: OJ8 Archer FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 240° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds; not recorded
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:12 am from GNV, 15 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.