Cessna 404 accident near Huntington, West Virginia, August 28, 1985
On August 28, 1985 at about 8:56 am local time, a Cessna 404, registered N255CS, was substantially damaged in an accident near Huntington, West Virginia (Tri-State airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 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
- August 28, 1985 · about 8:56 am local time
- Place
- Huntington, West Virginia · Tri-State · 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 404 · all 404s on the register
- Registration
- N255CS · registry record · serial 404019
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
SEVERAL MEN WHO WERE IN A BUILDING AT THE AIRPORT REPORTED THAT THEY COULD HEAR THE AIRCRAFT ON THE APPROACH AND THEN A LOUD NOISE. THEY COULD NOT SEE THE RUNWAY OR THE AIRCRAFT DUE TO THE FOG. THEY GOT IN THE FIRE AND RESCUE VEHICLES AND HAD A HARD TIME FINDING THE PLANE. THE PILOT WAS UNINJURED BUT THE AIRCRAFT HAD A BROKEN RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR AND OTHER DAMAGE THAT LEAD THE OPERATORS MAINTENANCE DIRECTOR TOSTATE THAT THE AIRCRAFT HAD A HARD LANDING. THE PILOT STATEDTHAT HE COULD SEE THE RUNWAY FROM 15 MILES OUT.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,146 hours in all; 810 in this make and model; 1,816 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,183 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 26 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 8,400 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental GTSIO520M (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Acme Flight Service,Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: IND Indianapolis IN at 7:42 am
- Destination: HTS
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 12, 6,509 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Wind: from 130° at 4 knots
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:50 am from HTS
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.