Cessna 182 accident near Waynesboro, Virginia, March 3, 1985
On March 3, 1985 at about 10:15 pm local time, a Cessna 182, registered N3950D, was involved in an accident near Waynesboro, Virginia (Waynesboro airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured; 1 other was unhurt. 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 3, 1985 · about 10:15 pm local time
- Place
- Waynesboro, Virginia · Waynesboro
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182 · all 182s on the register
- Registration
- N3950D · no longer on the register · serial 34560
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE STUDENT PLT TAXIED THE ACFT TO THE RUN-UP AREA AND STOPPED WITH THE ENGINE RUNNING. THE PASSENGER, A RATED HELICOPTER PILOT, EXITED THE AIRPLANE TO RETRIEVE A PORTABLE COMMUNICATIONS RADIO. ACCORDING TO THE STUDENT, THE PASSENGER DUCKED UNDER THE WING STRUT AND WALKED FORWARD INTO THE PROPELLER WITH THE ACFT REMAINING STATIONARY THRU-OUT THE OCCURRENCE. THE PASSENGER, WHO RECEIVED SERIOUS SHOULDER AND BACK LACERATIONS, FELT THAT HE HAD CLEARED THE PROP ARC AND THAT THE ACFT MOVED & STRUCK HIM.
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: student
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 37 hours in all; 4 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days; 13 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,387 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 16, 1985
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 16°F (-9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:45 pm from CHO, 23 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.