Cessna 172N accident near Pensacola, Florida, June 27, 1986
On June 27, 1986 at about 3:00 am local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N733ML, was substantially damaged in an accident near Pensacola, Florida (Ferguson airport). It was a personal 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
- June 27, 1986 · about 3:00 am local time
- Place
- Pensacola, Florida · Ferguson · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N733ML · registry record · serial 17268397
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT STATED THAT HE LANDED LONG ON THE WET GRASS RWY. AS HE ATTEMPTED TO STOP, THE ACFT SLID OFF THE SIDE OF THE RNWYINTO A DITCH, SEVERING THE NOSE GEAR & COLLAPSING THE LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR.
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: 173 hours in all; 120 in this make and model; 38 in the last 90 days; 137 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,250 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 18, 1985
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 2,600 ft by 200 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 260° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:00 am from PNS, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.