Cessna 172N accident near Monticello, Georgia, May 21, 1985
On May 21, 1985 at about 10:00 am local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N6201E, was destroyed in an accident near Monticello, Georgia. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people 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
- May 21, 1985 · about 10:00 am local time
- Place
- Monticello, Georgia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N6201E · no longer on the register · serial 17271999
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ABOUT 20 MIN AFTER TAKEOFF, WHILE CRUISING AT 5000 FT, THE PLT OBSERVED OIL ON THE WINDSHIELD & NOTED A DECREASE IN OIL PRESSURE. HE TURNED BACK TOWARD THE DEPARTURE ARPT & REDUCED THE POWER IN AN ATTEMPT TO PROLONG ENG LIFE. A SHORT TIME LATER, THE ENG BEGAN RUNNING ROUGH, THEN FAILED. THE ACFT WAS OVER AN AREA OF GND FOG & THE PLT COULD NOT SEE THE GND. HE BEGAN GLIDING AT A MIN RATE OF DESCENT & TRIMMED THE ACFT. BEFORE ENTERING THE FOG, THE OCCUPANTS FASTENED THEIRSEAT BELTS & BRACED THEMSELVES FOR IMPACT. SHORTLY AFTER THE ACFT ENTERED THE FOG, IT HIT 6 TREES, THEN CRASHED IN A CLEARING. DURING A POST-CRASH EXAM, THE OIL DIP STICK WAS FOUND BEHIND THE ENG & THERE WAS INDICATIONS THAT OIL HAD ESCAPED FROM THE TOP OF THE ENG. THE #1 CONNECTING ROD HAD FAILED & PUNCTURED THE ENG CASE. A TEARDOWN OF THE ENG REVEALED EVIDENCE THAT THE ENG HAD BEEN OPERATING WITHOUT OIL PRIOR TO THE ROD FAILURE.
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
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 590 hours in all; 160 in this make and model; 9 in the last 90 days; 590 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,530 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 15, 1984; 260 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 9A1 Covington GA at 9:20 am
- Destination: DAB Daytona Beach FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Sky: overcast at 800 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 6:00 am
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.