NTSB Releases Preliminary Report On Bluff Springs Plane Crash

October 16, 2025

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released a preliminary investigation report on a July 9 single-engine plane crash in Bluff Springs.

A witness reported the plane flying just above the treetops before the pilot attempted an emergency landing in a freshly plowed field where the plane flipped. The crash, which occurred around 6:20 p.m., was several hundred feet east of Highway 29, just north of Bluff Springs and Byrneville Roads, or about 1.5 miles south of Century

The pilot and a passenger were able to walk away from the crash and depart in a private vehicle. The report states that they were not injured.

According to Federal Aviation Administration registration data, the 1967 Cessna 172H belongs to an individual in Atmore.

The NTSB report says the personal flight departed the Atmore Municipal Airport at about 6 p.m.

“About 20 minutes later, while cruising at 1,500 ft mean sea level (msl), the engine suddenly stopped producing power. The pilot was unable to restart the engine and made a forced landing to a peanut field. When the airplane touched down, it nosed over resulting in substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer and rudder,” the investigation report states.

The plane was removed from the accident site days later and retained for further examination.

NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.

Comments

3 Responses to “NTSB Releases Preliminary Report On Bluff Springs Plane Crash”

  1. DLo on October 17th, 2025 8:24 am

    It’s been three months and eight days, what is the allotted amount of time it takes to determine the cause of engine failure?

  2. Dale on October 17th, 2025 5:09 am

    David, too early to determine cause of engine failure.

  3. David Huie Green on October 16th, 2025 11:50 pm

    But nothing about cause of engine shutdown?
    Hmm.

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News