Cessna 182 accident near Frederick, Maryland, March 4, 1985
On March 4, 1985 at about 2:17 am local time, a Cessna 182, registered N6388A, was destroyed in an accident near Frederick, Maryland. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. 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
- March 4, 1985 · about 2:17 am local time
- Place
- Frederick, Maryland · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182 · all 182s on the register
- Registration
- N6388A · no longer on the register · serial 33188
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING CRUISE FLT AT 7500 FT THE RPM STARTED TO DECREASE UNTIL THE PLT STATED THAT 'IT WAS JUST LIKE YOU RAN OUT OF GAS.' THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH A WOODEN PWRLINE POLE DURING THE NIGHT FORCED LNDG AND CAME TO REST INVERTED. INVESTIGATION REVEALED ABOUT 20 GALLONS OF RED AVGAS IN THE RT TANK AND 1 GALLON IN THE LEFT TANK. APRX 3 OZS OF LIQUID WERE DRAINED FROM THE CARB WHICH ANALYSIS CONCLUDED THE MAJORITY OF IT TO BE WATER. MAINTENANCE RECORDS REVEALED THAT WING TANK SUMP DRAINS HAD BEEN INSTALLED IN MAY OF 1983 AND AND THE AD DEALING WITH WATER CONTAMINATION OF THE FUEL SYSTEM CAUSED BY WRINKLES/FOLDS IN THE TANK BLADDERS HAD BEEN SIGNED OFF IN SEPTEMBER 1984. THE MECHANIC THAT PERFORMED THE WORK WAS CONTACTED AND STATED HE FOUND NO WRINKLES THAT WOULD JUSTIFY INSTALLATION OF THE CESSNA DRAIN KIT DESCRIBED IN SERVICE LETTER SE84-9. EXAMINATION OF THE BLADDER TANKS REVEALED WRINKLES/FOLDS IN THE VICINITY OF BOTH OUTLETS FEEDING FUEL TO THE ENG.
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: 678 hours in all; 39 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 608 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,437 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 1, 1984; 8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-L (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 2G4 Oakland MD
- Destination: GAI Gaithersburg MD
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 12,000 ft
- Temperature: 37°F (3°C), dew point 19°F (-7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:47 am from MRB, 33 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 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.