Cessna 182 accident near Le Banon, Virginia, March 8, 1985
On March 8, 1985 at about 10:20 pm local time, a Cessna 182, registered N5430B, was destroyed in an accident near Le Banon, Virginia. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed and 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. 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
- March 8, 1985 · about 10:20 pm local time
- Place
- Le Banon, Virginia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182 · all 182s on the register
- Registration
- N5430B · no longer on the register · serial 33430
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT IMPACTED TREES AND CAME TO REST 400 FT DOWNSLOPE FROM THE TOP OF CLINCH MOUNTAIN. THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PLT DEPARTED SPRINFIELD, MO, WITH A CEILING OF APRX 300-400 FT AGL. THE PLT THEN LANDED AT COOKEVILLE, TN, WHERE HE RECEIVED A WX BRIEFING AND FUEL. THE PLT STATED TO THE FSS BRIEFER, HE HAD TO DEVIATE SOUTH OF HIS ORIGINALLY PLANNED COURSE BECAUSE OF WX AND HE WANTED TO EXTEND HIS FLT PLAN. THE PLT WAS ADVISED DURING THE BRIEFING THAT VFR WAS NOT RECOMMENDED ALONG THE ROUTE OF FLT BECAUSE OF RAINSHOWERS, LOW CEILINGS AND LOW VISIBILITIES. COOKEVILLE WAS MVFR BUT IFR WAS FORECAST ALONG THE ROUTE AS THE DETERIORATING WX MOVED SOUTH. WX IN THE AREA OF THE ACCIDENT AT THE TIME WAS REPORTED AS BEING MARGINAL.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 290 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,573 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 12, 1984
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-L (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: Springfield MO at 2:25 pm
- Destination: Woodbardy VA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 13 knots, gusting 18
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 2,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:22 pm from TRI, 25 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 1 |
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.