Cessna 172 M accident near Statesville, North Carolina, July 14, 1985
On July 14, 1985 at about 2:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172 M, registered N12334, was substantially damaged in an accident near Statesville, North Carolina. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. 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
- July 14, 1985 · about 2:00 pm local time
- Place
- Statesville, North Carolina · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 M · all 172 Ms on the register
- Registration
- N12334 · no longer on the register · serial 17261934
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE EN ROUTE, THE PLT ENCOUNTERED REDUCED VISIBILITY & HAD DIFFICULTY FINDING THE AIRSTRIP. HIS 1ST APCH TO LAND WAS HIGH & HE MADE A GO-AROUND. THE PLT LANDED ON HIS 2ND ATTEMPT, BUT WAS UNABLE TO STOP ON THE WET GRASS RWY. HE DELAYED ATTEMPTING A GO-AROUND UNTIL THERE WAS INSUFFICIENT RWY REMAINING TO CLEAR POWER LINES AT THE DEPARTURE END. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT WENT OFF THE RIGHT END OF THE RWY & THE LEFT WING HIT A SMALL TREE BEFORE THE ACFT STOPPED. ABOUT 40 MI SOUTH AT CHARLOTTE, NC, THE WX WAS, IN PART: 800 FT BROKEN, VISIBILITY 4 MI WITH FOG, WIND 260 DEG AT 3 KTS.
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: 125 hours in all; 58 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 710 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 1, 1985; 17 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 8A6 Charlotte NC at 1:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 1,600 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 800 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:50 am from CLT, 40 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.
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.