NTSB investigations, 1985
180,630 investigations by the National Transportation Safety Board since 1962: 174,609 accidents, the rest incidents and other occurrences. Each has NTSB’s narrative and, once the investigation is done, its probable cause; since 2008, its findings and sequence of events.
Cases, newest first
Query with SQL
duckdb -csv -c "SELECT c.\"ntsbNumber\", c.\"eventDate\", c.\"eventType\", c.\"eventCity\", c.\"eventStateOrRegion\", a.n_number, a.\"aircraftMake\", a.\"aircraftModel\", c.\"highestInjuryLevel\", c.\"totalFatal\", c.\"completionStatus\", c.report_url FROM 'https://openairdocs.org/data/latest/ntsb_case_detail.parquet' c LEFT JOIN 'https://openairdocs.org/data/latest/ntsb_aircrafts.parquet' a ON a.case_mkey = c.\"mKey\" AND a.position = 1 WHERE year(c.\"eventDate\") = 1985 ORDER BY c.\"eventDate\" DESC, c.\"ntsbNumber\" DESC"
Prints the whole list as CSV. It reads the release’s Parquet files over HTTPS, so there’s nothing to download first. Install DuckDB to run it.
SELECT c."ntsbNumber", c."eventDate", c."eventType", c."eventCity", c."eventStateOrRegion", a.n_number, a."aircraftMake", a."aircraftModel", c."highestInjuryLevel", c."totalFatal", c."completionStatus", c.report_url FROM 'https://openairdocs.org/data/latest/ntsb_case_detail.parquet' c LEFT JOIN 'https://openairdocs.org/data/latest/ntsb_aircrafts.parquet' a ON a.case_mkey = c."mKey" AND a.position = 1 WHERE year(c."eventDate") = 1985 ORDER BY c."eventDate" DESC, c."ntsbNumber" DESC
Run it at the DuckDB prompt, or in any tool that reads Parquet over HTTPS. More ways to query the release are on Use the data.
NTSB DEN85FTE09Accident · Minor injuriesFinal reportConover'S Steen Skybolt · Strasburg, COThe acft was observed during landing by a witness who said that the acft bounced once before nosing over to an inverted position on the rt side of the rwy. Investigation revealed that the rt landing gear was wrapped tight with weeds that bordered the side.…NTSB DEN85FA236Accident · 2 fatalField investigationFinal reportPiper PA-28RT-201T · Saint Mary, MTPlt received wx update enroute to kalispell, MT. He attempted to navigate through the glacier national park, following the 'going-to-the-sun' highway. The wx along the plt's route of flt included low cloud ceiling, limited visibility and mountain obscurement.…NTSB ATL85LKG09Accident · No injuriesFinal reportGrumman G-164 · Opp, ALThe plt reported that during a pull-up and turnaround at the end of a swath run, the eng gave off smoke and lost pwr. The plt dumped the chemical load and performed a forced landing in a fld which contained 6 to 8 ft tall vegetation. The acft travelled aprx…NTSB ANC85LAA02Accident · No injuriesFinal reportPiper PA-18 · Fairbanks, AKThe plt stated that while making a loss pass over a gravel area, he experienced violent sinking due to wind shear. The plt reported the winds were from 240 degs at 25 KTS gusting to 35 KTS.NTSB ANC85LA171Accident · 1 fatalLimited investigationFinal reportCessna 182B · English Bay, AKA witness stated that he saw the acft crash in the cook inlet while it was in a steep descent. Neither the acft nor the plt were recovered; however, some small objects from the acft were retrieved. The plt was presumed to have been fatally injured.NTSB SEA85LA207Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportStolt-Adams Starduster SA101 · Yerington, NVWhile attempting to land the plt allowed the acft to become too low on short final. The plt did not add pwr soon enough and an undershoot occurred.NTSB NYC85LA232Accident · Serious injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportCessna 152A · Post Mills, VTAfter reviewing air maneuvers, a normal apch was made to land on rwy 22. The acft landed on all 3 wheels & bounced into the air, then it went to the left of the rwy. While the plt was turning right to avoid trees & to recover from the bounced landing, the…NTSB MIA85LA244Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportPiper PA-28-161 · Everglades City, FLThe plt stated that while returning to venice from marathon,the acft started to lose power. He switched tanks but the problem continued. He notified fort myers apch he was having problems and when the power deteriorated to 1600 RPM, he elected to ditch the…NTSB MIA85LA243Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportBell 47G-2 · Moore Haven, FLThe plt stated that while flying around his property, he slowed the helicopter up to descend and land, at aprx 40 ft altitude the eng lost power due to carburator ice buildup. He autorotated to a landing & on touchdown his right skid contacted a large boulder…NTSB LAX85LA381Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportCessna 402A · San Jose, CAThe aircraft landed gear up. The pilot reported no malfunction and said he forget to lower the landing gear.NTSB LAX85LA380Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportPiper PA-28-161 · Julian, CAThe acft collided with rising terrain on a local flt. The pax indicated that the plt was flying below the clouds and came too close to the mtn to avoid the collision.NTSB DEN85LA237Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportCessna 172P · Monument Valley, UTThe pilot said that during his approach to ldg he encountered a downdraft. He subsequently lost control of the a/c. the a/c stalled and impacted the grd hard causing subst damage.NTSB BFO85FA073Accident · No injuriesField investigationFinal reportPiper PA-31-350 · Norfolk, VAThe acft experienced a complete gear collapse after contacting a rwy light and a taxiway sign during a landing roll. Theflt departed la guardia arpt 230 lbs over the 7000 pld max gross weight of the acft and at least 1 inch aft of the center of gravity limit.…NTSB ATL85LA268Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportPiper PA-24-250 · Florence, SCThe plt was unable to extend the landing gear & performed a gear-up landing. Post accident examination revealed that the nose gear door was restricting the movement of the landing gear due to improper repair of the landing gear door attachment.NTSB ANC85LAG02Accident · Minor injuriesFinal reportPiper PA-18 · Kodiak, AKThe plt stated that he entered a small canyon with a ridge line at the end which he would have to cross. As the plt continued into the canyon he had insufficient alt to clear the ridge. The acft stalled and struck the side of the mountian ridge.NTSB ANC85LA170Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportCessna 180F · Cordova, AKThe plt reported that immediately after taking off, he seemed to lose aileron control. He decided to abort the takeoff & land on the remaining rwy. After touching down near the departure end, he elected to turn the acft to the left toward an access road…NTSB MKC85LA207Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportFairchild Hiller FH-1100 · Ashland, KSThe helicopter lost power and made a hard forced landing in a backyard. There were no leaks in the fuel system but the fuel tank was found to be empty. The owner states that even though the fuel tank was found to be empty after the accident, the fuel quantity…NTSB MIA85LA245Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportAeronca 7AC · New Smyrna Bch, FLThe aircraft swerved to the left on landing as the tailwheelcontacted the runway. The aircraft left the runway and collided with an embankment shearing the right main landing gear. A post accident examination of the tailwheel steering entering assembly…NTSB LAX85LA379Accident · Serious injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportPiper PA-28-180 · Glendale, AZThe stop at the airport was a planned fuel stop on a flt from conroe, TX to bullhead city, AZ. The flt departed controe,TX about 12 hours prior to the accident. Witnesses saw the acft make two 'high & very erratic' aborted approaches prior to impacting in the…NTSB FTW85LA337Accident · Serious injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportPiper PA-28-181 · Westbrook, TXThere were no known eye witnesses to the accident. Available evidence reveals that the pilot most probably made a successful landing in the remotely located field and rolled to a stop. The sheriff reported that the engine oil was drained onto the ground at…NTSB FTW85IA341Incident · Minor injuriesIncident investigationFinal reportMcdonnell Douglas DC-10-10 · Abilene, TXAa DC-10 enroute el paso, TX. To dfw arprt TX. Had fire warning #3 eng. Crew performed emerg. Proc. But lite remained on. Crew made emergency landing dyess afb Abilene, TX. Pax emer evac left side of a/c. aft slide L4 deflated during evac 1 pax received minor…NTSB DEN85LA235Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportCessna 182N · Moab, UTThe plt stated after the accident that he experienced a loss of power while cruising at 8500 MSL. He was unable to restore power and executed an emergency landing in an open area covered by sage brush. During the landing roll, the acftnosed over. Examination…NTSB SEA85LA206Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportCessna 152 · Langley, WAAn aborted takeoff from a 2600 foot sod runway as done at about 40 feet AGL. The airstrip is surrounded by high trees. The pilot stated that the aircraft was not developing full power. The engine was run up to full power by an a & p mechanic three days after…NTSB MKC85LA204Accident · Minor injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportGrumman AA5 · Boone, IAAfter departing laporte city airport the plt of the acft proceeded to his destination airport despite deteriorating weather conditions at this destination. The plt stated he should not have proceeded into poor weather conditions. Weather conditions at the…NTSB LAX85LA395Accident · Serious injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportPiccard AX6 · Pilot Hill, CADuring inflation of the balloon prior to flt, the plt said he noticed a 5 kt gust of wind. Plt then sent a small balloon aloft to test the wind and said it 'showed a slowing of the wind' at 60 to 80 ft AGL & acceptable flt conditions. After launch the wind…NTSB LAX85LA394Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportGlasflugel ST Liebelle 201B · California City, CAThe glider landed off the arpt on a road and groundlooped after colliding with shrubbery. The plt complained of encountering a downdraft during the flt.NTSB DEN85FA233Accident · 4 fatalField investigationFinal reportPiper PA-34-200T · Ogden, UTThe plt and his party were en route from minden, NV to casper, WY and had stopped at Ogden, UT to refuel. The plt obtained an updated wx briefing fr fss and field an IFR flt plan. After takeoff the plt was told to climb in the holding pattern to 13000 ft.…NTSB CHI85LA367Accident · Serious injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportRaven AX-9 · Blaine, MNThe one hour balloon sightseeing flight was uneventful. During his approach to land in a clear area he decided that his forward velocity was too high to land without hitting houses or powerlines below the balloon. According to him he burned fuel to attempt a…NTSB CHI85LA365Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportCessna 177 · Glandorf, OHThe plt reported that during cruise flt the prop pitch began to vary, oil pressure dropped to zero and the eng began to overheat. A forced landing ensued during which the acft contacted a ditch. Post accident examination of the eng disclosed the #3 cylinder…NTSB ATL85LA267Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportBryan HP-14 · Aiken, SCPlt reported that sailplane was positioned for a tow in tall grass beside the rwy. He said that during the takeoff the left wing was slowed by the tall grass allowing the right wing to accelerate. The sailplane yawed left and rolled left until 90 degrees to…NTSB ANC85LA169Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportMaule M-5 · Anchorage, AKDuring takeoff, the eng lost power as the acft was climbing thru aprx 400 ft. the plt made a 180 deg turn to land back on the arpt. However, he then realized that the acft would not reach the rwy, so he turned & landed in a swamp area. An exam of the eng…NTSB ANC85LA168Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportPiper PA-18-150 · Mcgrath, AKWhile en route & about 15 mi from his destination, the plt noted that both the eng RPM & the oil pressure were decreasing. Subsequently, he made an emerg landing in an area of small trees & brush next to a swamp. An exam of the eng was made, but no mechanical…NTSB NYC85FA227Accident · 2 fatalField investigationFinal reportCessna 150M · Danby, VTThe pilot of N66190 received a weather briefing from lebanon flight service station and was advised of low ceilings and also advised that visual flight rules flight was not recommended. At about the time N66190 was departing rutland, Vermont, a helicopter…NTSB MKC85LA205Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportCessna 150-L · Stuttgart, ARThe pilot stated that just after takeoff, he lost engine power and when the airplane was landed in a rough soy-bean field, it nosed over to the inverted position. The engine and fuel systems were inspected by an FAA inspector. No reason for the power loss…NTSB MKC85LA203Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportCessna 172G · Deepwater, MOThe acft was crusing at 2,000 ft, 50 min after takeoff when the eng began running rough, lost RPM, and then quit. The plt made a forced landing in a small fld and the collided with trees during the landing roll. The investigation, which included running the…NTSB LAX85LA378Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportStinson 108-2 · Carpinteria, CADuring a x-c pleasure flt all eng pwr was suddenly lost when the plt heard a 'loud bang.' The plt made an emergency ldg on a polo field. During ldg flare the plt stalled the acft. The resulting hard touchdown substantially damaged the acft. Exam of the acft's…NTSB FTW85LA339Accident · Minor injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportCessna 150B · Drumright, OKThe pilot's landing approach was long and fast. The aircraft touched down but the pilot decided he would be unable to stop on the remaining runway and intiated a go-around. He then realized he would not be able to clear trees beyond the end of the runway. He…NTSB DEN85LA234Accident · Serious injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportBalloon Works Firefly 7 · Littleton, COThe plt attempted to land his Balloon in high winds resulting a hard ldg which threw him out of the basket the Balloon then began an immediate asent until a pax pulled the vent line and the Balloon settled rapidly until it hit the grd. Injuries to passengers…NTSB CHI85LA362Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportBeech A36 · Mankato, MNThe plt of this acft attempted to start the eng twice with acft battery and a ground pwr unit without success. He then tied the tail down with a rope and had started the eng. After the eng started, the tie down rope broke and the acft taxied by itself into…NTSB ATL85LA265Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportBellanca Champion 7GCAA · Alabaster, ALThe plt lost directional control of the acft during a landing. The acft nosed over coming to rest inverted. The plt related that a gust of wind caused the loss of control.NTSB ATL85LA264Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportPiper PA-18 105 · Hendersonville, NCDuring the takeoff phase of a touch & go landing, the CFR and private pilot lost directional control and ran off the side of the runway.NTSB ATL85FA266Accident · 4 fatalField investigationFinal reportPiper PA-28-235-B · Rion, SCThe acft had been cruising at 10,500 ft for several min and then informed ATC that they were climbing to 12,500 ft due to VFR. Shortly there after the acft disappeared from the radar scope. Witnesses heard the engine making an unusual sound and looked up and…NTSB ANC85LA166Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportMaule M-5 · Cape Yakataga, AKThe plt reported that he started to depart from a gravel strip, then elected to abort the takeoff. While rolling on the ground, the acft hit a 'wash-out' which bent a structural tube on the landing gear assembly.NTSB MKC85LA206Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportGrumman American AA-1C · Montgomery City, MON39061 collided with trees at the edge of the arpt after takeoff from a 2,380 ft long, turf & gravel rwy. There was on 80' left crosswind at 10 KTS and the density alt was 3,000 ft. the arpt operator said the acft became airborne at a slower than normal speed…NTSB MKC85LA202Accident · Minor injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportCessna 172M · Kahoka, MOThe plt stated that as he turned final, the airspeed increased and he could not slow down so the acft touched down fast. When he attempted a last minute go-around, the acft hit a concrete filled metal pole, went off the end of the rwy, across a street and…NTSB MKC85LA201Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportPiper PA-24-250 · Weskan, KSThe plt rptd a high eng oil temperature & low oil pressure while maneuvering over a siesmic operation site in west Kansas. The acft was substantially damaged when it contacted a ditch during a forced landing. Post accident inspection failed to disclose any…NTSB MKC85LA200Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportPiper PA-32-301 · Fredericktown, MOThe plt reports that he lost directional control during the landing roll. The acft swerved off the side of the rwy, down an embankment and collided with a fence. The landing and brake system were examined by a mechanic after the accident and no evidence of a…NTSB MKC85FA199Accident · 1 fatalField investigationFinal reportAeronca 7AC · Bridgeton, MOA witness observed the acft flying in an easterly direction at an alt of 200 to 300 ft AGL. The acft then made a 180 deg turn to a westerly heading. After flying a distance of aprx 2000 ft, the acft entered a left turn and dove into a squash fld. Post…NTSB LAX85LA377Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportCessna A150K · Avalon, CAThe plt said the operation was about 4 and 1/2 hours into a commercial fish spotting flt when the engine 'began to run rough, then quit altogether.' Attempts to restart the engine were unsuccessful and the plt completed a power-off ditching at sea. He and the…NTSB LAX85FA376Accident · Serious injuriesField investigationFinal reportCessna T303 · Simi Valley, CAThe acft collided with trees during a forced landing following a loss of pwr. The student plt stated the flt was normal until a 'violent right yaw' developed when the trottles were advanced to recover from a practice stall. As the CFI took over the controls…