Cessna 172N accident near Meridian, Mississippi, December 29, 1989
On December 29, 1989 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N733FK, was destroyed in an accident near Meridian, Mississippi (Key Field). 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
IN FLIGHT LOSS OF CONTROL BY THE PILOT WHILE FLYING IN INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS. CONTRIBUTING FACTOR(S) WAS: THE PILOT'S APPREHENSION TOWARD INSTRUMENT FLYING AND THE ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS THAT EXISTED AT THE TIME.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 29, 1989 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Meridian, Mississippi · Key Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N733FK · no longer on the register · serial 17268260
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AT 1151, WHILE BEING VECTORED FOR AN APPROACH, THE PILOT REPORTED HE WAS ENCOUNTERING 'A LITTLE CHOP AND RAIN' AND REQUESTED A DESCENT. AT 1159, WHILE BEING VECTORED AROUND WEATHER, THE PILOT REPORTED'...I CANNOT HOLD MY ALTITUDE. EXAMINATION OF THE CRASH SITE INDICATED THE AIRPLANE DESCENDED THROUGH TREES IN A NOSE DOWN NEAR VERTICAL ATTITUDE. THE PILOT'S WIFE STATED THAT THE PILOT DID NOT FEEL COMFORTABLE FLYING ON INSTRUMENTS AND THAT HE WAS AFRAID HE MIGHT ENCOUNTER VERTIGO.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 912 hours in all; 852 in this make and model; 51 in the last 90 days; 16 in the last 30 days; 822 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,074 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 4, 1989; 66 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TCL Tuscaloosa AL at 4:59 pm
- Destination: MEI Meridian MS
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 1, 8,004 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:01 pm from MEI, 9 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.