Cessna 172N accident near Valdosta, Georgia, January 31, 1998
On January 31, 1998 at about 4:15 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N738YK, was substantially damaged in an accident near Valdosta, Georgia. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the student to recover (pull-up) from the intentional maneuver resulting in the in-flight collision with terrain. Contributing to the accident was the ostentatious display by the student.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 31, 1998 · about 4:15 pm local time
- Place
- Valdosta, Georgia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N738YK · no longer on the register · serial 17270340
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot had flown low over his father who was on a tractor in a field near the crash site. The student then climbed to 3,000 feet where he performed a departure stall, followed by a descending spiral. He stated that while descending he became disoriented and did not recover from the descending spiral before impact with the ground. He further stated that he had buzzed someone on an earlier flight and was advised by his flight instructor not to do so again. He also stated that there was no airframe or engine preimpact failure or malfunction.
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: 31 hours in all; 21 in this make and model; 3 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 2 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (expired)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,630 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, January 9, 1998; 17 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: VLD at 3:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 030° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:50 pm from VLD
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.