Cessna 182H accident near Waynesboro, Virginia, May 7, 1985
On May 7, 1985 at about 2:50 pm local time, a Cessna 182H, registered N8579S, was substantially damaged in an accident near Waynesboro, Virginia (Waynesboro airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. 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
- May 7, 1985 · about 2:50 pm local time
- Place
- Waynesboro, Virginia · Waynesboro · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182H · all 182Hs on the register
- Registration
- N8579S · registry record · serial 18256679
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING THE TAKEOFF ROLL, THE PILOT NOTICED THAT THE LEFT DOOR WAS OPEN. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO CLOSE THE DOOR, HE FAILED TO MAINTAIN DIRECTIONAL CONTROL AND THE AIRCRAFT SUBSEQUENTLY STRUCK TREES ALONG THE SOUTH SIDE OF RUNWAY 23.
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: 526 hours in all; 217 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days; 378 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,310 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 23, 1985
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-R (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Augusta Aviation CORP.
The flight
- Departed from: W13 at 2:50 pm
- Destination: Knoxville TN
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 23, 2,009 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 8,000 ft; not recorded at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:45 pm from CHO, 23 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.