Cessna C-172M accident near Luxora, Arkansas, October 9, 1985
On October 9, 1985, a Cessna C-172M, registered N9854Q, was destroyed in an accident near Luxora, Arkansas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were 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
- October 9, 1985
- Place
- Luxora, Arkansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna C-172M
- Registration
- N9854Q · no longer on the register · serial 17265798
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER A DAY OF WORK,THE PLT AND TWO FRIENDS MADE A LCL FLT AROUND HE AREA. NEAR THE END OF THE FLT,A FIRE WAS SPOTTED ON THE WEST BANK OF A MISS. RIVER CHANNEL. THE PLT DECIDED TO GO DOWN AND TAKE A LOOK AT THE FIRE. AFTER PASSING OVER THE FIRE, FLT DOWN THE CHANNEL WAS CONTINUED. THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH AN UNMARKED POWER LINE ACROSS THE CHANNEL AND CRASHED INTO THE WOODS. THREE CONDUCTORS WERE SEPARATED.
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: 108 hours in all; 3 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,129 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Blytheville Aero,Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: HKA Blytheville AR at 10:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Observation at 11:55 pm from BYH, 12 miles away
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.