Cessna 172H accident near Liberty, Mississippi, September 12, 1993
On September 12, 1993 at about 3:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172H, registered N3767R, was destroyed in an accident near Liberty, Mississippi (Mcgehee Air Park airport). It was an instructional 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 PILOT'S DELAYED GO-AROUND AND FAILURE TO RETRACT THE FLAPS IN A TIMELY MANNER. FACTORS WHICH CONTRIBUTED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE PILOT'S MISJUDGMENT OF DISTANCE AND SPEED WHICH RESULTED IN OVERSHOOTING THE APPROACH, AND THE EXISTENCE OF POWER LINES CROSSING DIRECTLY OVER THE RUNWAY. THE COMBINATION OF THE GO-AROUND FLIGHT PROFILE WITH FULL FLAPS EXTENDED AND THE LOCATION OF THE WIRES MOST LIKELY LED TO AN EVASIVE MANEUVER AND INADVERTENT STALL INTO THE WIRES.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 12, 1993 · about 3:00 pm local time
- Place
- Liberty, Mississippi · Mcgehee Air Park · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172H · all 172Hs on the register
- Registration
- N3767R · no longer on the register · serial 17255567
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A WITNESS OBSERVED THE AIRPLANE ON APPROACH TO RUNWAY 36. THE APPROACH WAS DESCRIBED AS FAST AND HIGH. THE AIRPLANE TOUCHED DOWN, BOUNCED, AND BEGAN TO PORPOISE. AN INCREASE IN ENGINE POWER WAS HEARD AND A GO-AROUND WAS INITIATED. THE NOSE OF THE AIRPLANE PITCHED UP 10-15 DEG, AND A LEFT TURN WAS INITIATED AT AN ESTIMATED 20-30 DEG BANK ANGLE. THE FLAPS WERE FULL DOWN, AND THE AIRSPEED WAS DESCRIBED AS BEING CLOSE TO A STALL. THE AIRPLANE PASSED OVERHEAD THE WITNESS AND CRASHED. IT HAD COLLIDED WITH A POWER LINE IN A LEFT WING LOW, NOSE-DOWN ATTITUDE. POWER LINES CROSS THE RUNWAY 1,325 FT FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE RUUNWAY, 50 FT ABOVE THE GROUND. RECORDS INDICATE THAT THE POWER LINES HAVE BEEN IN PLACE SINCE 1953 OR EARLIER. THE CESSNA 172 OWNER'S MANUAL STATES THAT DURING A GO-AROUND THE FLAP SETTING SHOULD BE REDUCED TO 20 DEG IMMEDIATELY AFTER FULL POWER IS APPLIED.
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: student
- Flight time: 29 hours in all; 29 in this make and model; 29 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 6 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,636 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 4, 1993; 121 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HEZ Natchez MS at 2:02 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 2,200 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:56 pm from MCB, 29 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.