Cessna 172M accident near St. Marys, Georgia, January 2, 1986
On January 2, 1986, a Cessna 172M, registered N21760, was destroyed in an accident near St. Marys, Georgia. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. 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 2, 1986
- Place
- St. Marys, Georgia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N21760 · no longer on the register · serial 17264008
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DRG A NGT X-COUNTRY FLT, THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PLT CONTACTED APCH CONTROL & RPRTD HE WAS 'SORT OF LOST IN THE FOG.' HE OBTAINED WX INFO & ELECTED TO DIVERT TO WAYCROSS, GA. SHORTLY THEREAFTER, THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH TREES ON UNEVEN TERRAIN & CRASHED. WITNESSES STATED THAT THEY HEARD THE ACFT CIRCLE TWICE & CRASH. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION OF THE ACFT OR ENG WAS FOUND. ABOUT 28 MI SOUTH AT JACKSONVILLE, FL, THE 1949 EST WX WAS IN PART: 600' BROKEN, 1500' OVERCAST, VIS 7 MI, WIND FROM 060 DEG AT 12 KTS. WITNESSES RPRTD PATCHY FOG IN THE AREA OF THE ACDNT. TOXICOLOGY CHECKS OF TISSUE FROM THE PLT REVEALED THE PRESENCE OF BENZODIAZEPINE (VALIUM) & PROPOXYPHENE (DARVON). INTERVIEWS WITH THE PLT'S WIFE & AN AVIATION MEDICAL EXAMINER REVEALED THE PLT HAD USED THESE MEDICATIONS FOR ARTHRITIS.
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: 100 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (expired)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, September 1, 1985
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: X47 Bunnell FL
- Destination: AYS Waycross GA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 060° at 12 knots
- Sky: overcast; not recorded
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.