Cessna 185 incident near Clarksburg, West Virginia, November 14, 1982
On November 14, 1982 at about 4:07 pm local time, a Cessna 185, registered N8432Q, suffered minor damage in an incident near Clarksburg, West Virginia (Benedum airport). It was a ferry flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this incident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 14, 1982 · about 4:07 pm local time
- Place
- Clarksburg, West Virginia · Benedum · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 185 · all 185s on the register
- Registration
- N8432Q · no longer on the register · serial 18503699
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Ferry flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRCRAFT HAD BEEN TENTATIVELY SOLD TO THE 2 PASSENGERS AND WAS BEING FLOWN FROM MARLBORO, MA TO DUMAS, AR WITH A REFUELING STOP AT CLARKSBURG, WV. SHORTLY AFTER TAKING OFF FROM CLARKSBURG, A RADIO PROBLEM WAS ENCOUNTERED. THE PILOT WAS CLEARED TO LAND ON RUNWAY 21 (VIA GREEN LIGHT FROM THE TOWER). REPORTEDLY, THE LANDING TOUCHDOWN WAS NORMAL, BUT DURING THE ROLL-OUT, THE LEFT GEAR COLLAPSED AND THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED MINOR DAMAGE. AN EXAMINATION OF THE AIRCRAFT REVEALED THAT THE MAIN ATTACHING BOLT, LOCATED IN THE GEAR BOX, UNDER THE FUSELAGE, HAD FAILED. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR HAD FAILED AFT AND THE TIRE AND HAD SEPARATED FROM THE LEFT WHEEL. A METALLURGICAL EXAMINATION OF THE FAILED BOLT, REVEALED INDICATIONS OF CORRODED INTERGRANULAR FRACTURE MODE IN A CRESCENT SHAPED AREA. THE REMAINING PORTION OF THE FRACTURE HAD CLEAN DUCTILE DIMPLES, TYPICAL OF OVERSTRESS.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine
- Flight time: 1,389 hours in all; 15 in this make and model; 133 in the last 90 days; 1,294 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 170 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 15 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,500 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-510-D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Dorr Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: 9B1 Marlboro MA at 6:15 am
- Destination: M90 Dumas AR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 21, 5,200 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 10,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.