- Date
- March 23, 1985, 09:30 local (14:30 UTC)
- Place
- Fairfield, PA
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N97700Cessna 182
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850323075959A
- Case key
- 35846
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
During flt, the acft had an electrical problem while flying in instrument (IFR) conditions. The plt reported that only the altimeter, airspeed indicator & mag compass were operating. He became spatially disoriented & the acft entered several dives & at least 1 spin. Subsequently, the acft descended below the clouds in a valley where the plt could maintain visual references. The plt then made an emergency landing on rough/uphill terrain where the acft was damaged. The plt said the surrounding hills were covered with clouds. Also, he said that the vacuum pump, turn & bank indicator, attitude indicator & stall warning sys became inop or malfunctioned while he was in IFR conditions.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N97700
- Reported as
- Cessna 182
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18267171
- Airframe hours
- 799
- Engine
- Continental O-470-U, 230 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Penn Shadecrafters,Inc.
- Registered owner
- Robert L. Carter
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 18, 1984
- Departed
- 9N3 · Factoryville, PA
- Destination
- GSO · Greensboro, NC
- Flight plan
- IFR
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
- 57
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 842 total · 750 in this make and model · 792 as pilot in command · 16 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 360° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 2 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 400 ft broken
- Temperature
- 36 °F, dew point 30 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MRB
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.