Cessna 172N accident near Manati, Puerto Rico, August 20, 1983
On August 20, 1983 at about 3:35 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N734PM, was substantially damaged in an accident near Manati, Puerto Rico (Manati airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. 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
- August 20, 1983 · about 3:35 pm local time
- Place
- Manati, Puerto Rico · Manati
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N734PM · no longer on the register · serial 17269007
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT REPORTED THAT DURING THE LANDING, A GUST OF WIND BLEW THE ACFT TO THE LEFT. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH A FENCE THAT PARALLELED THE LEFT SIDE OF THE RWY, THEN NOSED OVER.
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: 389 hours in all; 389 in this make and model; 24 in the last 90 days; 253 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,280 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 1, 1983
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BQN Borinquen PR at 3:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 9, 2,300 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 070° at 13 knots, gusting 22
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 9,000 ft; scat at 1,800 ft
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 79°F (26°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:52 pm from SJU, 30 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.