Cessna 120 accident near Afton, Virginia, August 24, 1985
On August 24, 1985 at about 9:15 pm local time, a Cessna 120, registered N1812V, was destroyed in an accident near Afton, Virginia (Waynesboro airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. 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 24, 1985 · about 9:15 pm local time
- Place
- Afton, Virginia · Waynesboro · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 120 · all 120s on the register
- Registration
- N1812V · no longer on the register · serial 13997
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT AND HIS WIFE DEPARTED WAYNESBORO ARPT IN REPORTED VFR WX CONDITIONS AT APRX 1700 HRS. ACCORDING TO THE ASSISTANTARPT MGR THE CEILING WAS ABOUT 2500 FT HOWEVER, THE MOUNTAIN TOPS WERE OBSCURED IN THE DIRECTION THE ACFT FLEW TOWARDS. AT ABOUT 1710 HRS THE PLT RADIOED BACK ON UMICOM THAT HE HADCROSSED THE MOUNTAIN AND WAS GOING HOME. ABOUT 45 SECONDS LATER, HE WAS HEARD TO SAY THAT HE 'HAD HIT SCUDD'. THE WRECKAGE WAS FOUND AT 2100 FT. AN ANALYSIS OF THE WX DONE BY AN NTSB METEOROLOGIST INDICATED THAT CLOUD BASES AT THE TIME AND IN THE AREA OF THE ACCIDENT WERE NEAR 2000 FT.
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; single-engine sea; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 4,003 hours in all; 33 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days; 3,897 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,662 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 5, 1984; 88 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,450 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C85-12-F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: W13 Waynesboro VA
- Destination: W98 Chesterfield VA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 23, 2,000 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,500 ft; not recorded at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.