Cessna 172N accident near South Fork, Missouri, June 19, 1983
On June 19, 1983 at about 7:10 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N1298F, was destroyed in an accident near South Fork, Missouri. It was a personal 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 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 19, 1983 · about 7:10 pm local time
- Place
- South Fork, Missouri
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N1298F · no longer on the register · serial 17272991
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
TAKEOFF WAS FROM A FARM STRIP 1,600 FT LONG WITH GRASS 8 TO 10 INCHES HIGH. THERE ARE TREES ABOUT 800 FT SOUTH OF THE SOUTH END OF THE STRIP. THE ACFT TOOK OFF TO THE SOUTH & MADE A LEFT TURN. AFTER TURNING ABOUT 135 DEG THE BANK ABRUPTLYSTEEPENED, THE NOSE DROPPED & THE ACFT CRASHED IN A NEARLY VERTICAL NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE. THE STALL OCCURRED AT AN ESTIMATED 100 TO 150 FT AGL. THE FLAPS WERE FOUND 10 DEG DOWN.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,526 hours in all; 1,344 in this make and model; 2,374 as pilot in command; 1,085 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,156 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 8, 1983; 84 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: H63 West Plains MO
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 18, 1,600 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.