- Date
- February 18, 1985, 20:00 local (Feb 19, 1985, 02:00 UTC)
- Place
- Comanche, TX
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N54149Cessna 172P
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850218005089A
- Case key
- 21674
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
The non-instrument rated plt flew the acft into rising terrain in a wings level attitude during a period of low ceilingson a dark night. The plt stated he was descending to stay clear of the overcast and never saw the ground. Plt had a total of 80 hrs flt time.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N54149
- Reported as
- Cessna 172P
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17274890
- Airframe hours
- 1,950
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-D2J, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Cothran Aviation
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 16, 1984 · 140 hours before
- Departed
- F54 · Arlington, TX
- Destination
- BWD · Brownwood, TX
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
- 26
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 80 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 40° at 15 knots
- Visibility
- 3 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,700 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 57 °F, dew point 54 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- BWD, 25 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.