Cessna 172P accident near Haverhill, Massachusetts, June 6, 1984
On June 6, 1984 at about 4:04 pm local time, a Cessna 172P, registered N65491, was destroyed in an accident near Haverhill, Massachusetts (Lawrence Municipal 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 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 6, 1984 · about 4:04 pm local time
- Place
- Haverhill, Massachusetts · Lawrence Municipal
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172P · all 172Ps on the register
- Registration
- N65491 · registry record · serial 17275764
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WITNESSES OBSERVED THE ACFT ON A HIGH FINAL APCH TO RWY 05 WHEN A GO-AROUND WAS INITIATED OVER THE RWY AT APRX 50 FT AGL WITH THE FLAPS FULLY EXTENDED. THE ACFT CLIMBED TO APRX 100 FT AGL & THEN SUDDENLY ENTERED A STALL, DESCENDED TO THE GROUND & CRASHED. THE FLAP ACTUATOR WAS FOUND IN THE 'UP' POSITION.
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: 40 hours in all; 40 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 7 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 523 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 15, 1984; 105 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2J (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Four Star Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: LWM Lawrence MA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 5, 4,997 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 15,000 ft; not recorded at 15,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:45 pm from LWM, 1 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.