Cessna 172 accident near Ft. Plain, New York, November 22, 1983
On November 22, 1983 at about 9:10 pm local time, a Cessna 172, registered N734YA, was substantially damaged in an accident near Ft. Plain, New York (Nellis Field). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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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 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 22, 1983 · about 9:10 pm local time
- Place
- Ft. Plain, New York · Nellis Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N734YA · registry record · serial 172-69210
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE FLT DEPARTED BEDFORD, MA AT ABOUT 1300. UPON ARRIVING IN THE AREA OF THE DESTINATION ARPT, THE PLT HAD DIFFICULTY INLOCATING THE ARPT. AFTER SEEING WHAT HE THOUGHT WAS A WIND SOCK, HE LANDED IN A FARMER'S FIELD. HE WAS TOLD THAT THIS WAS THE ORIGINAL FIELD, BUT THE ARPT WAS NOW 2 MI SOUTH. THE PLT VISUALLY CHECKED THE FUEL TANKS & VERIFIED THAT EACH WAS 1/4 FULL. AFTER TAKEOFF THE PLT WAS AGAIN UNABLE TO FIND THE ARPT. HE FLEW AROUND THE AREA FOR ANOTHER 45 MIN UNTIL THE ENG QUIT DUE TO FUEL EXHAUSTION. THE ACFT TOUCHED DOWN IN A PLOWED FIELD & THE NOSE COLLAPSED.
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: 177 hours in all; 167 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days; 143 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
- Not recorded
The flight
- Departed from: BED Bedford MA at 1:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: not reported
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number NYC84LA036.