- Date
- August 19, 1985, 13:32 local (17:32 UTC)
- Place
- St. Thomas
- Injuries
- 4 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N22198Cessna 172M
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850819039479A
- Case key
- 31257
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
Witnesses stated the acft was flying slow at aprx 200 ft alt photographing a group of sail boats. As the plt entered a left turn to reverse course, it stalled and nosed down striking the water in a near vertical attitude. At the time of the accident the acft was aprx 35 lbs over the max allowable gross weight for the acft and center of gravity limit.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N22198
- Reported as
- Cessna 172M
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17264057
- Airframe hours
- 3,356
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E20, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Operator
- Allen E. Kelly, doing business as Paradise Air Service
- Registered owner
- Cleophas U. Hodge Jr.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal; Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 27, 1985 · 70 hours before
- Departed
- STT · St. Thomas
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
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 1,150 total · 720 in this make and model · 900 as pilot in command · 110 in the last 90 days · 50 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 80° at 15 knots
- Visibility
- 9 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 90 °F, dew point 66 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- STT, 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.