Cessna 172N accident near Gulfport, Mississippi, December 18, 1991
On December 18, 1991 at about 7:45 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N733XV, was substantially damaged in an accident near Gulfport, Mississippi (Shade Tree Field). 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
FAILURE OF THE PILOT-IN-COMMAND TO PERFORM A GO-AROUND AND INADVERTENT STALL.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 18, 1991 · about 7:45 pm local time
- Place
- Gulfport, Mississippi · Shade Tree Field · 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
- N733XV · no longer on the register · serial 17268639
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE STUDENT PLT WAS FLYING THE ACFT FROM THE LT SEAT WHILE THE PVT PLT RATED PIC WAS SEATED IN THE RT. THE ACFT WAS HIGH & FAST WHILE ON FINAL APCH WITH FULL FLAPS LOWERED & THE STUDENT FLARED TOO SOON. THE ACFT FLOATED, THEN TOUCHED DOWN MOMENTARILY & BECAME AIRBORNE. THE PIC TOOK CONTROL OF THE ACFT BUT SAID HE DID NOT WANT TO INITIATE A GO-AROUND WITH FULL FLAPS LOWERED. THE STUDENT PLT STATED THAT THE PIC APPLIED FULL AFT CONTROL COLUMN INPUT & THE ACFT INADVERTENTLY STALLED & IMPACTED THE GROUND NOSE LOW. THE NOSE LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED & THE ACFT NOSED OVER & CAME TO REST.
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: 918 hours in all; 557 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 870 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10,924 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 3, 1991; 120 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2G (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 3R6 Bay St. Louis MS at 7:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 35, 2,800 ft by 80 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
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.