Cessna 195 accident near Lexington, Kentucky, April 12, 1985
On April 12, 1985 at about 6:04 pm local time, a Cessna 195, registered N4408C, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lexington, Kentucky (Blue Grass airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was 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 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
- April 12, 1985 · about 6:04 pm local time
- Place
- Lexington, Kentucky · Blue Grass · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 195 · all 195s on the register
- Registration
- N4408C · registry record · serial 7981
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING LDG ROLL-OUT THE PLT APPLIED BRAKE PRESS IN ORDER TO TURN ONTO THE TAXIWAY & THE RT BRAKE GRABBED CAUSING THE ACFT TO GROUND LOOP. THE LEFT LANDING GEAR SPRING STRUT SEPARATED FROM THE FUSELAGE ATTACHMENT POINT.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,500 hours in all; 1,500 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,800 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,150 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Jacobs R755A2 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CRW Charleston WV at 4:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 22, 7,003 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 4,500 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:07 pm from LEX, 1 miles away
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.
Other NTSB records under N4408C the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.