Cessna 172M accident near Clearwater, Florida, March 16, 1984
On March 16, 1984 at about 11:16 pm local time, a Cessna 172M, registered N1242U, was substantially damaged in an accident near Clearwater, Florida (St Petersburg-Clearwater airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 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
- March 16, 1984 · about 11:16 pm local time
- Place
- Clearwater, Florida · St Petersburg-Clearwater
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N1242U · registry record · serial 17266937
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRCREW WERE PRACTICING TOUCH & GO LANDINGS WHEN A LOSS OF POWER OCCURRED. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT WAS DAMAGED DURING AN EMERGENCY LANDING IN A FIELD. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE THROTTLE LINKAGE HAD BECOME DISCONNECTED AT THE CARBURETOR SUPPORT FITTING.
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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 17,000 hours in all; 2,000 in this make and model; 75 in the last 90 days; 15,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,454 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 5, 1983; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 9, 5,165 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 120° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:21 pm from PIE, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.