- Date
- August 19, 1985, 17:55 local (21:55 UTC)
- Place
- Rose Township, MI
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N5146ACessna 172
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850819063009A
- Case key
- 12864
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
Just prior to the accident, several witnesses observed the acft flying at a very low alt in the vicinity of the crash site. The crash site was located across the road from the home of the plt's brother. According to witnesses, the acfts eng was operating normally prior to the accident. There was evidence that the acft's horizontal stabilizer struck the top branches of a tree (aprx 60 ft tall), then the plane did a wing-over & crashed in a nose down attitude. No preimpact part failure or malfunction was found. Toxicology tests of the plt's blood & urine showed alcohol levels of 0.068% & 0.062%, respectively.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5146A
- Reported as
- Cessna 172
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28146
- Airframe hours
- 2,489
- Engine
- Continental O-300-A, 145 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- W. F. Farren G. G. Valliancour
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 17, 1985 · 28 hours before
- Departed
- PTK · Pontiac, MI
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 40
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 177 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 260° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 20,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PTK, 10 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.