Cessna 182L accident near Falmouth, Kentucky, March 24, 1985
On March 24, 1985 at about 6:06 pm local time, a Cessna 182L, registered N42616, was destroyed in an accident near Falmouth, Kentucky. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 4 people had minor injuries. 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
- March 24, 1985 · about 6:06 pm local time
- Place
- Falmouth, Kentucky · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 4 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182L · all 182Ls on the register
- Registration
- N42616 · no longer on the register · serial 18259108
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING FLT IN IMC CONDITIONS AT 9000 FT MSL, THE PLT NOTED A LOSS OF AIRSPEED INDICATIONS. HE REQUESTED & RECEIVED CLEARANCE TO DESCEND. DURING THE DESCENT, HE ELECTED TO DIVERT & RECEIVED VECTORS FOR A NEARBY ARPT. HOWEVER, WHEN HE ATTEMPTED TO LEVEL OFF, THERE WAS NO RESPONSE TO THE ENG. HE WAS UNABLE TO GLIDE TO AN ARPT & SUBSEQUENTLY WAS FORCED TO LAND IN A WOODED AREA. DURING THE LANDING, THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH TREES ON STEEP TERRAIN. AN INVESTIGATIONREVEALED THE SURFACE TEMP & DUE POINT WERE 50 & 38 DEG, RESPECTIVELY, THUS THE TEMP AT 9000 FT WOULD HAVE BEEN AT OR NEAR FREEZING. ACCORDING TO ICING PROBABILITY CHARTS, CARB ICING CONDITIONS WERE PROBABLE DURING THE DESCENT FROM 9000 TO 3000 FT. ALSO, WATER WAS FOUND IN THE GASCOLATOR, BUT NO OTHER PREIMPACT PROBLEMS WERE FOUND.
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: commercial pilot, military
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,700 hours in all; 175 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days; 1,250 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,259 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 12, 1984; 78 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: I67 Harrison OH at 5:30 pm
- Destination: CLT Charlotte NC
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 2,500 ft; not recorded at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 3 |
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.