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 FTW85LA325Accident · Minor injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportPiper PA-28-181 · Llano, TXThe plt stated he entered the traffic pattern at 2000 ft for a left downwind to rwy 17. He then reduced pwr to 1700 RPM and placed the mixture control into the full rich position. He assured that carburetor heat was off and then started his descent. The eng…NTSB FTW85LA324Accident · Minor injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportDouglas TB-26B · Pattonville, TXThe acft had not flown for two years and was being checked out for a ferry flt to the U.S. Air force air museum in fargo, ND. During initial climb from cox field at paris, TX, the left eng lost total pwr and the right eng lost partial pwr. An off arpt forced…NTSB DEN85LTG09Accident · No injuriesFinal reportPiper PA-30/A · Bowman, NDThe acft was landed gear up. The plt was aware of the condition at one point in the traffic pattern. A check by retarding the throttle(s) on final produced no warning horn so the plt assumed that the gear was down. After the gear up landing, the circuit…NTSB DEN85LA223Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportCessna 120 · Erie, COThe plt stated after the accident that she had landed and the acft rolled aprx 600 ft when she attempted to turn off onto the taxiway while the acft was traveling at a moderate speed. A witness stated that he saw the trees 'lock up' as the acft approached the…NTSB CHI85FEV02Accident · Serious injuriesFinal reportde Havilland DH-82A · Elmore, ILWhile on a x-country flt, the eng lost power & the prop continued to windmill. Subsequently, the acft crashed during an emerg landing. During the crash landing, the plt's shoulder harness failed at the upper attachment point & he received head & back…NTSB CHI85FEK02Accident · Serious injuriesFinal reportUnknown Quickie · Wren, OHOn August 17,1985 at about 1442 EDT, a Q2 quickie (homebuilt) N4253F, registered to gary a. moser and flown by keith w. moser crashed while performing maneuvers 1/2 mile southeast of Wren, Ohio, while on a personal flight. VFR meteorological conditions…NTSB ATL85LA250Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportCessna A-188B · Winterville, MSDuring pull-up from a swath, the acft stalled & descenced into trees. The plt related that he pulled up into a tight turn causing the acft to stall.NTSB ATL85LA249Accident · Minor injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportPiper PA-28-181 · Yanceyville, NCThe non instrument rated private pilot flew into know adverse wx conditions. While receiving vectors to the nearest airport, the eng lost power dur to fuel exhaustion and an emergency landing was made in a field near a private residence.NTSB ATL85FA252Accident · 4 fatalField investigationFinal reportMooney M20C · Columbus, GAAcft departed airport after enroute stop for fueling.VFR conditions with broken clouds at 2800 feet and turbulence in clouds. Acft was cleared to 4500 and PIC asked to report reaching. During climb PIC was asked his altitude. His response was unintelligible…NTSB ANC85LA152Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportPiper PA-12 · Anchorage, AKThe plt reported sufficient alt could not be obtained to clear trees during takeoff. The acft stalled and the right wing contacted the water resulting in the acft cartwheeling. Investigation revealed the acft was over gross weight and CG was beyond the aft…NTSB SEA85FA198Accident · No injuriesField investigationFinal reportPiper PA-31-350 · Sparks, NVAcft exhausted fuel enroute to destination during cross coun try night flgt. Plt advised ATCT of loss of engines about 20 miles out. Plt made deadstick landing on hwy, struck bridge divider. No fire or reported injures. Inspection disclosed dry fuel tanks.NTSB NYC85LA214Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportGrumman American AA-5 · Montgomery, NYThe plt reported that the flt was uneventful until he was in a descent about 12 mi from the destination arpt. He said that a large bird suddenly appeared in front of the acft & collided with the right wing. The bird strike put a large hole in the right wing…NTSB MIA85LKG05Accident · No injuriesFinal reportCessna L-188 · Camilla, GAThe plt stated that during a swath run at an alt of aprx 5 ft AGL, a sudden loss of pwr occurred. The acft was damaged when it settled and contacted the terrain. Post accident inspection and a test run of the eng failed to reveal any mechanical…NTSB MIA85LA236Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportMooney M20F · Ft. Myers, FLThe acft settled to the rwy during the takeoff roll after the landing gear retracted. The plt stated that the landing gear collapsed for an unknown reason. A post accident inspection of the landing gear and related components revealed no defects or…NTSB LAX85LA356Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportCessna R182RG · Hilo, HIOn August 16, 1985, a Cessna 182 ditched at sea following fuel starvation about 200 miles northeast of Hawaii while on a ferry flight. The pilot reported that he had 23 hours of fuel onboard for the 16 hour flight. The aircraft was equipped with auxiliary…NTSB LAX85LA352Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportCessna 182K · Pioneer, CADocuments provided by the plt established that 45.5 gallons of fuel were loaded on the aircraft prior to departure from watsonville, California, the day prior to theaccident. The flt flew direct to minden, Nevada, a straight line distance of 170 NM, where it…NTSB LAX85LA350Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportCessna 182A · Santa Paula, CADuring a cross country flt the acft experienced fuel exhaustion and collided with ground obstructions during the subsequent forced landing in a river bed. The plt said 4 hrs and 20 mns of engine run time had elapsed since the last fueling of the acft. At the…NTSB DEN85LA221Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportBeech E18S · Billings, MTThe plt stated that he encountered a 'wind draft' and the acft was struck by lightning. The rt eng mount failed and the rt eng was deflected downward. Plt was unable to maintain alt and executed a forced landing in an open field. Post crash exam of the welded…NTSB CHI85LA350Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportCessna C-172P · Zanesville, OHPlt aborted takeoff from taxiway when he realized that he as not on rwy. Plt stated he was confused by taxiway marking & he believes taxiway arrows are misleading.NTSB CHI85LA349Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportPiper PA-20 · Bay City, MIThe acft was damaged during a hard forced landing following a loss of pwr shortly after takeoff. The plt reported that at an alt of aprx 250 ft AGL, the eng quit. Post accident inspection revealed the fuel selector was positioned on the right tank which…NTSB CHI85FA351Accident · 1 fatalField investigationFinal reportCessna 404 · South Lyon, MIThe acft took off and climbed to 5000 ft uneventfully. It then dropped off radar and subsequently impacted the ground in a flat upright attitude. A post-crash fire consumed the majority of the airframe. Eng and prop teardowns indicated no abnormalities and…NTSB BFO85LIA01Accident · No injuriesFinal reportCessna U206 · Leesburg, VAThe acft was on a round-robin x-country flt from Leesburg to manassas, VA, gaithersburg, MD & return to Leesburg. When the plt departed gaithersburg on the final leg of the flt, he estimated he had 11 gal of fuel. He reported that during arrival at Leesburg,…NTSB ATL85IA251Incident · No injuriesIncident investigationFinal reportCessna 441 · Hilton Head, SCThe pilot reported that the approach sequence and profile were normal, and there were no apparent aircraft problems. After touch down the pilot applied reverse thrust. During the landing roll out, the aircraft veered off the left side of the runway, collided…NTSB LAX85LA357Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportCessna 172P · Glendale, AZThe acft ran off the rwy and into a ditch after a landing at Glendale, AZ. The rwy is 2400 ft long and 50 ft wide. The plt stated he landed about 40% down the rwy, bounced three times, steered off the rwy and hit a shallow ditch. The plt reported no…NTSB LAX85LA349Accident · Serious injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportCessna 172K · Santa Paula, CAOn a local flt to view camping and hiking facilities in mountainous terrain, the acft entered a box canyon with a moderately rising floor and steep sides reported by the sheriff's department at about one-quarter of a mile wide. Duringan attempted course…NTSB LAX85LA348Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportCessna A188B · Willcox, AZOn August 15, 1985, a Cessna 180 lost eng pwr due to fuel exhaustion and collided with the ground during an aerial applicaion maneuver. The acft sustained substantial damage but the pilot was not injured. The plt stated that he should have checked the fuel…NTSB FTW85LA323Accident · Serious injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportCessna T188C · Floydada, TXThe plt stated he failed to see a metal stand pipe in the cotton field. The acft collided with the stand pipe and flipped inverted. Residue of the spraying chemical was observed on the windscreen after the accident. This residue restricted forward visibility…NTSB FTW85LA322Accident · Minor injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportCessna A188B · Cushing, OKThe plt was test flying the acft after a major eng overhaul.a left turn was made away from the arpt after takeoff and immediately thereafter the eng lost pwr. With no suitable landing area within gliding distance, the acft was manuevered straight ahead where…NTSB DEN85LA220Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportBeech 76 · Sula, MTPlt stated that he overflew airstrip to 'make sure it was clear.' During the landing roll, he saw shrubbery on the rwy and attempted evasive action. The acft veered left and the left main gear rolled into a drainage ditch and the left wing contacted a fence…NTSB DEN85LA219Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportCessna C-172 · Killdeer, NDThe plt said he measured the length of the r/w prior to t/o. the t/o was normal on a downsloping r/w with trees at the FAR end. The plt said that as the a/c lifted off the r/w the a/c struck the trees. He said a gust of wind caused the a/c to settle into the…NTSB ATL85LA260Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportSmith, Ted Aerostar Aerostar 601P · Prestonburg, KYThe pilot stated that while on short final the aircraft encountered a down draft which caused a sudden loss of altitude resulting in a hard landing. The aircraft tire blew on landing and the aircraft veered off of the side of the runway and was substantially…NTSB ATL85LA248Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportGrumman G-164B · Irwinville, GAThe acft reportedly suffered a loss of power during aerial application. A forced landing was attempted in a field and collided with a tree. The cause of the loss of power was undeterminedNTSB NYC85LA211Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportErcoupe Ercoupe 415-C · Del Mar, NYThe plt was reposition the acft at the request of the new owner who was not a rated plt. While climbing thru 2000 ft AGL the plt reported hearing the engine growl and felt a loss of power. During a precautionary descent the engine seized and the plt made a…NTSB MIA85LA232Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportBell 206A · Sarasota, FLThe helicopter plt landed the helicopter on a wood decked landing dolly. After landing he reduced the collective pitch control full down and reduced the throttle to idle. At the time of landing the wind was on the nose of the acft. Shortlyafter landing the…NTSB MIA85FA234Accident · Serious injuriesField investigationFinal reportCessna C-172M · Immokalee, FLThe acft had departed from the north-south oriented grass strip for a local flt and was returning to land toward the north. On short final the acft collided with an umarked power transmission line aprx 100 ft AGL and 0.25 mile south of the apch end of the…NTSB LAX85LA351Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportCessna 172P · Saint Helena, CADuring a local personal flt, the plt said the 'engine began to run rough a shake violently.' With not enough power to maintain altitude, the plt elected to make an emergency landing in a field, however, overran the field after touchdown and collided with…NTSB LAX85LA347Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportPiper PA-30 · Hollister, CAThe plt and gnd witnesses reported that during the takeoff roll, the nose gear collapsed, followed by the main landing gears. Post-accident investigation disclosed the landing gear control handle was in the down position. All of the landing gear…NTSB FTW85LA320Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportCessna 172N · Sallisaw, OKThe plt stated he had an electrical failure and elected to make a precautionary landing at Sallisaw municipal arpt. Equipment was on the rwy and the plt elected to land on a grass strip next to the rwy. He touched down and during rollout thought he could not…NTSB CHI85LA345Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportCessna 140 · Almont, MIAfter takeoff and about 300 ft AGL the plt said his eng stopped briefly restarted then stopped. He landed in a cow pasture and to avoid hitting the cows landed hard on the left gear and engine. The acft then nosed over inverted.NTSB ATL85LA247Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportCessna 188 · Dyersburg, TNDuring the third takeoff the pilot failed to obtain and maintain flying speed and crashed in a field off the departure end of the ag strip.NTSB SEA85LA196Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportCessna 150L · Bellingham, WAThe plt, who was unfamiliar with the area, was given directions & traffic pattern info to the meadows mist arpt, a a pvt/charted strip near Bellingham, WA. She came upon a similar grass strip in that area with a parked acft on it. Thinking this uncharted…NTSB NYC85LA209Accident · Minor injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportLuscombe 8E · Carthage, NYAccording to the pilot,while climbing to cruise, the engine began to run rough; however it did not quit. The pilot decided to return to the field for a precautionary landing. While turning onto final approach, the engine quit and the pilot attempted to glide…NTSB MKC85LA187Accident · Minor injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportTaylorcraft BL-65 · Ottumwa, IAN27492 collided with utility wires which cross the des moines river and crashed into the river.NTSB MKC85LA184Accident · Minor injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportAir Tractor AT301 · Oakley, KSN8541S collided with a fence and crashed while attempting a forced landing. The plt reports that it took longer than expected to dispense his chemical load and he was critically low on fuel when he departed the working area for the arpt. He got to within 2…NTSB MKC85LA183Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportCessna A188B · Menlo, KSPlt reports that the eng gradually lost power during a swath turn around. A landing on a nearby road appeared possible but the eng quit and the acft crashed in a corn field. Post accident examination by an FAA inspector failed to reveal any evidence to…NTSB MKC85FA182Accident · 1 fatalField investigationFinal reportRonald Houk RD-1 · St. Charles, MOThe home built gyrocopter was being flown by the owner/builder/designer who had an airplane, single-eng, land rating. Shortly after the gyrocopter took off, the eng was operating at a high RPM when a witness heard a pop/noise. Subsequently, the gyrocopter…NTSB FTW85LA318Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportPiper PA-28-140 · May, TXThe plt stated the eng RPM dropped to 1500 during level cruise flt at 4200 ft MSL. He could not regain pwr. He diverted the flt and attempted to reach the brownwood, TX, arpt but did not have sufficient alt. A forced landing was made in a rugged, heavily…NTSB DEN85LA218Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportDowner Aircraft Industries REP. Seabee RC-3 · Haugan, MTThe plt had reconditioned N6305K and was flying the acft to his home in Texas. He continued to state that while climbing through 6500 ft, he heard an unusual noise followed by a substantial loss in pwr. The plt executed an emergency landing on a forest…NTSB DEN85LA217Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportPiper PA-32-300 · Ruidoso, NMAcft was 20 lbs over the max gross weight. Plt said he aborted the first takeoff due to a rough running eng. The plt performed a runup and attempted a second takeoff which was aborted again due to rough running eng. The acft ran off end of rwy and struck a…NTSB CHI85FA344Accident · No injuriesField investigationFinal reportLearjet 23 · Madison, WIThe plt elected to take off with a heavy loaded acft on the short rwy. The plt stated a loud noise was heard as the acft approached 80 KTS. The takeoff was aborted at 100 KTS. Hydroplaning was experienced and a loss of control occurred. The acft traveled off…