Cessna 182A accident near Dover, Tennessee, May 9, 1985
On May 9, 1985 at about 11:30 pm local time, a Cessna 182A, registered N3937D, was substantially damaged in an accident near Dover, Tennessee. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were 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
- May 9, 1985 · about 11:30 pm local time
- Place
- Dover, Tennessee · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182A · all 182As on the register
- Registration
- N3937D · no longer on the register · serial 34637
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE STUDENT PLT AND HIS PAX, A PRIVATE PLT, FLEW TO ANOTHER ARPT AND MADE SEVERAL TAKEOFFS AND LANDINGS. THEN RETURNED TO THE PRIVATE AIRSTRIP WHERE THEIR FLIGHT HAD ORIGINATED. THE STUDENT PLT WAS AT THE CONTROLS ON THIS APCH. AFTER TOUCHDOWN THE ACFT BECAME AIRBORNE AFTER PASSING OVER SOME BUMPS IN THE RUNWAY AND HE ADDED POWER. THE ACFT WAS LANDED AGAIN AND THE BRAKES WERE USED IN AN ATTEMPT TO STOP THE ACFT. THE BRAKES PULLED TO THE RIGHT AND THE ACFT SWERVED INTO A TREE STUMP THEN NOSED INTO A BANK ALONG SIDE THE RUNWAY.
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: 50 hours in all; 20 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,123 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 3, 1984
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-L (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 9, 1,300 ft by 50 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 10,000 ft; scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.