Cessna 404 accident near Hayesville, North Carolina, September 11, 1985
On September 11, 1985 at about 5:05 am local time, a Cessna 404, registered N128SP, was destroyed in an accident near Hayesville, North Carolina. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. 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
- September 11, 1985 · about 5:05 am local time
- Place
- Hayesville, North Carolina · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 404 · all 404s on the register
- Registration
- N128SP · no longer on the register · serial 404 0429
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
FISHERMAN HEARD AN AIRCRAFT OVERHEAD BUT DID NOT SEE ANY SIGN OF IT IN THE NIGHT SKY. SHORTLY THEREAFTER THEY SAW A FLASH AND FIRE ON THE SIDE OF A MOUNTAIN, THEN THEY HEARD THE EXPLOSION. THE SHERIFF WAS CALLED AND AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED A CRASHED AIRCRAFT. THERE WERE NO SIGNS OF OCCUPANTS IN OR NEAR THE AIRCRAFT. THE NEXT MORNING THE BODY OF A HEAVILY ARMED MAN WHO HAD ON A PARACHUTE AND A DEPLOYED RESERVE PARACHUTE WAS FOUND SEVERAL MILES AWAY IN A RESIDENTIAL AREA. A KEY TO THE CRASHED AIRCRAFT WAS FOUND ON THE BODY.
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
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 8,400 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental GTSIO-520-M (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Opex, Aviation, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: Unknown
- Destination: Unknown
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 200° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:51 am from TYS, 45 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.