- Date
- December 3, 1985, 08:35 local (13:35 UTC)
- Place
- Mt. Lafayette, NH
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N5281UCessna 172RG
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19851203058999A
- Case key
- 30275
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 acft, while in cruise flt en route to lyndonville, VT, encountered a severed downdraft and the plt was unable to penetrate or climb out of the descent. The acft continued to descend until impact with a mountain occurred. The acft contacted the terrain at climb power and attitude.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5281U
- Reported as
- Cessna 172RG
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 172RG0321
- Airframe hours
- 3,600
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-F1A6, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Ace Aviation,Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 19, 1985 · 58 hours before
- Departed
- PWM · Portland, ME
- Destination
- Lyndonville, VT
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
- 56
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 18,000 total · 2,000 in this make and model · 420 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 5,000 ft unknown
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.