Cessna 172N accident near Nantucket, Massachusetts, August 17, 1984
On August 17, 1984 at about 5:15 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N739ZU, was destroyed in an accident near Nantucket, Massachusetts (Nantucket airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people had minor injuries. 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
- August 17, 1984 · about 5:15 pm local time
- Place
- Nantucket, Massachusetts · Nantucket
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N739ZU · registry record · serial 172-709-44
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PLT ENTERED THE PATTERN FOR LANDING AND WAS ADVISED OF A CROSS-WIND SITUATION. PLT WAS UNFAMILIAR WITH THE AIRPORT AND REQUESTED A FULL PATTERN CIRCUIT TO OBSERVE CONDITIONS. ON LNDG FLARE WITH FULL FLAPS AND LEFT CROSS-WIND CORRECTION INPUT, A GUST CARRIED THE ACFT TO RIGHT OF RWY SURFACE. ACFT TOUCHED DOWN ON LEFT GEAR AND SWERVED LEFT. PLT APPLIED POWER FOR GO-AROUND, CROSSED RUNWAY TOWARD CONSTRUCTION AREA ON LEFT SIDE OF RUNWAY. TWR CONTROLLER BROADCAST 'KILL THE THROTTLE.' PLT CUT POWER AS ACFT ENTERED CONSTRUCTION SITE AND NOSED OVER IN ROUGH TERRAIN. PLT RECALL IS THAT GO-AROUND EFFORT WAS SUCCEEDING UNTIL POWER CUT BUT CONTROLLER STATED ACFT WAS ACCELERATING ON GRND TOWARD OBVIOUS HAZARD; ELT SIGNAL ACTIVATED DURING HIS TRANSMISSION. WITNESS STATED THAT WINDS WERE GUSTING TO 30 KTS WHEN ACCIDENT OCCURRED.
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: 76 hours in all; 12 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days; 30 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,682 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BED Bedford MA at 1:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 6, 6,303 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 20 knots, gusting 30
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.