Cessna 172E accident near Villa Rica, Georgia, August 22, 1985
On August 22, 1985, a Cessna 172E, registered N8499U, was substantially damaged in an accident near Villa Rica, Georgia (Flying S Ranch airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 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
- August 22, 1985
- Place
- Villa Rica, Georgia · Flying S Ranch · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172E · all 172Es on the register
- Registration
- N8499U · no longer on the register · serial 17252399
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT TOOK OFF FROM THE STOCKMAR ARPT ON A LOCAL FLT. AFTER FLYING IN THE LOCAL AREA, HE RETURNED AT DUSK TO LAND, BUT INADVERTENTLY MADE AN APPROACH TO ANOTHER ARPT THAT WAS LOCATED ABOUT 1/2 MI FROM THE STOCKMAR ARPT. HE DID NOT REALIZED THAT HE WAS MAKING AN APPROACH TO THE WRONG ARPT UNTIL THE ACFT WAS ABOUT 40 FT ABOVE THE RWY. THE PLT INITIATED A GO-AROUND, BUT THE ACFT CRASHED INTO TREES NEAR THE END OF THE RWY. THE OPERATOR REPORTED THAT THE PLT WAS NOT AUTHORIZED TO FLY THE ACFT.
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
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Villa Rica GA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 9, 2,900 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.