Cessna 172A accident near Glencoe, Kentucky, August 5, 1985
On August 5, 1985, a Cessna 172A, registered N7279T, was substantially damaged in an accident near Glencoe, Kentucky. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. 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 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
- August 5, 1985
- Place
- Glencoe, Kentucky · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172A · all 172As on the register
- Registration
- N7279T · no longer on the register · serial 46879
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT CRASHED IN A FIELD NEXT TO WHERE A FRIEND OF THE PLT WAS BALING HAY. THE PLT HAD CALLED THE FRIEND EARLIER IN THE DAY & ASK THE FRIEND TO GO FLY WITH HIM. JUST PRIOR TO THE ACDNT, THE PLT FLEW OVER & CIRCLED A COUPLE OF TIMES AT LOW ALT. TWO WITNESSES SAW THE ACFT GO DOWN, BUT THEY COULD NOT BE FND LATER FOR INTERVIEW. AN EXAM OF THE ACFT REVEALED IT HAD CRASHED IN A STEEP NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE. THERE WAS LITTLE MOVEMENT OF THE ACFT AFTER IMPACT, BUT IT WAS RELATIVELY INTACT. NO PREIMPACT MECHANICAL PROBLEM WAS EVIDENT. A HAMILTON COUNTY BLOOD ANALYSIS SHOWED THE PLT HAD AN ALCOHOL LVL OF 20 MG% (0.02%), A COCAINE LVL OF 20 MG% & A DIAZEPAM (VALIUM) LVL OF 10 MG%. TOXICOLOGY TESTS AT THE FAA MEDICAL CENTER SHOWED THE ALCOHOL LVL OF THE PLT'S BLOOD WAS 0.035%, URINE WAS 0.038% & GASTRIC FLUID WAS 0.314%; HOWEVER, TESTS FOR DRUGS WERE NEGATIVE. THE ACFT WAS NOT EQUIPPED WITH SHOULDER HARNESSES.
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: student
- Flight time: 51 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,508 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 30, 1984; 89 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HAO Hamilton OH
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,000 ft; not recorded at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.