Cessna 172N accident near Jaffrey, New Hampshire, June 28, 1983
On June 28, 1983 at about 2:01 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N738SF, was destroyed in an accident near Jaffrey, New Hampshire. 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 28, 1983 · about 2:01 pm local time
- Place
- Jaffrey, New Hampshire
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N738SF · no longer on the register · serial 17270195
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AT 0555 EDT, THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PLT OBTAINED A WX BRIEFING FOR A FLT FROM LIMINGTON, ME TO PAWLING, NY. AT THAT TIME, HE STATED HE WAS UNSURE WHEN HE WOULD DEPART, THE DECISION DEPENDED ON THE WX. THE BRIEFER ADVISED THAT AT THAT TIME, VFR FLT WAS NOT RECOMMENDED & THAT THE PLT SHOULD OBTAIN ANOTHER BRIEFING BEFORE DEPARTING, AT APRX O900 EDT, HE TOOK OFF, AN EN ROUTE REFUELING STOP WAS MADE AT CONCORD, NH. HIS ROUTE OF FLT WAS TO THE SOUTHWEST ALONG VICTOR 93. WHEN THE ACFT WAS DETERMINED TO BE OVERDUE, A SEARCH WAS INITIATED. LATER, IT WAS FOUND WHERE IT CRASHED NEAR THE TOP OF MT MONADNOCK AT AN ELEVATION OF APRX 2900 FT ON A HEADING OF 070. AN EXAM OF THE WRECKAGE REVEALED NO EVIDENCE OF A PREIMPACT, MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION OR FAILURE. A WITNESS IN THE VICINITY SAW AN ACFT MATCHING ITS DESCRIPTION FLYING BELOW A BROKEN LAYER AT ABOUT 2000 FT MSL. HE STATED HE COULD SEE AN OVERCAST ABOVE THE BROKEN LAYER & THAT MT MONADNOCK WAS OBSCURED BY CLOUDS MOST OF THE DAY.
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: 130 hours in all; 50 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,425 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 29, 1983; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: CON Concord NH at 1:40 pm
- Destination: Pawling NY
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 5 knots
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,000 ft; scat at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:35 am from EEN, 7 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.