Cessna 150F accident near Hartford, Tennessee, February 2, 1985
On February 2, 1985 at about 7:25 pm local time, a Cessna 150F, registered N8572G, was destroyed in an accident near Hartford, Tennessee. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. 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
- February 2, 1985 · about 7:25 pm local time
- Place
- Hartford, Tennessee · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150F · all 150Fs on the register
- Registration
- N8572G · no longer on the register · serial 15062672
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT WAS INFORMED DURING WX BRIEFING THAT VFR WAS NOT RECOMMENDED BECAUSE OF LOW CLOUDS. PLT ELECTED TO TAKEOFF AND FOLLOW I-90, HOWEVER, WX CONDITIONS WERE POOR AND PLT EXECUTED A CLIMB TO 10000 FT TO CLEAR THE CLOUD LAYER. WHILE EN ROUTE THE PLT TUNED TO THE ASHVILLE VOR AND TRACKED TO A LOCATION HE THOUGHT WAS IN THE VICINITY OF THE ARPT. A DESCENT WAS MADE THROUGH BREAKS IN THE CLOUDS TO 5500 FT. THE DESCENT WAS THEN CONTINUED TO 4000 FT WHERE THE PLT APPLIED POWER AND THE ACFT CONTACTED A MOUNTAIN.
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: 90 hours in all; 60 in this make and model; 28 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,900 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection; 70 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,650 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Bristol TN at 6:30 pm
- Destination: Knoxville TN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 800 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:49 pm from TYS, 30 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.