Cessna 172K N78160

Summary

On 23 June 1983 at about 07:40 local time, a Cessna 172K registered N78160 was involved in an accident near Millhaven, Georgia, United States. 2 people were on board and one died, one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. No probable cause statement is available for this record.

Date

23 June 1983 at 07:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Millhaven, Georgia, United States

Coordinates

32.7501, -81.6293

Aircraft

Cessna 172K

Registration

N78160

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Unknown

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Allendale → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

ATL83FA238

1 person died.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

THE PLT & HIS SON TOOK OFF AT NIGHT TO PARTICIPATE IN THE SEARCH FOR A DOWNED ACFT. SUBSEQUENTLY, THEY FOUND THE BURNING WRECKAGE OF THE DOWNED PLANE. THEY SAW PEOPLE MOVING AROUND THE ACCIDENT SCENE & MADE A PASS OVER IT BY DIVING WITH THE LANDING LIGHT ON. DURING THE DIVE, LIGHT FROM THE LANDING LIGHT WAS REFLECTED BACK INTO THEIR EYES BY FOG. THE PLT THEN CLIMBED TO AN ALT WHERE HE COULD COMMUNICATE WITH THE UNICOM AT ALLENDALE, GA. ACCORDING TO THE PLT'S SON, THEY THEN MADE A SECOND PASS OVER THE DOWNED ACFT. DURING THE SECOND PASS, THE ACFT STRUCK TREES & CRASHED. THE PLT'S SON STATED THAT DURING THE SECOND PASS, HE WAS UNABLE TO SEE ANYTHING WHEN THE LIGHT WAS AGAIN REFLECTING BACK. HE ALSO SAID HE WAS NOT AWARE THAT THEY WERE GETTING SO LOW. A TOXICOLOGICAL CHECK OF THE PLT'S BLOOD REVEALED AN ALCOHOL LEVEL OF 0.11%.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.