Cessna 182P accident near Holly Grove, Virginia, August 20, 1985
On August 20, 1985 at about 4:00 pm local time, a Cessna 182P, registered N69814, was substantially damaged in an accident near Holly Grove, Virginia (South Anna (Private) 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
- August 20, 1985 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- Holly Grove, Virginia · South Anna (Private) · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182P · all 182Ps on the register
- Registration
- N69814 · no longer on the register · serial 18263325
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER TAKEOFF, THE ACFT LOST PWR APPROXIMATELY 150 FEET AGL. THE PLT ADDED CARBURETOR HEAT AND TURNED THE ACFT BACK TOWARDS GVM SPRING AIRPORT, GUM SPRING, VIRGINIA, BUT AN EMERGENCY LANDING WAS EXECUTED IN A SHORT PASTURE, APPROXIMATELY 100 YARDS SHORT OF THE RWY. UPON TOUCHDOWN, THE ACFT'S NOSEWHEEL SUNK IN MUD AND THE ACFT FLIPPED OVER, COMING TO REST INVERTED. APPROXIMATELY 10-12 INCHES OF RAIN HAD FALLEN IN GUM SPRING, VIRGINIA DURING THE TWO DAYS PRIORTO THE ACCIDENT. INVESTIGATION REVEALED AN APPROXIMATE 75 PEERCENT WATER CONTENT IN THE TWO CUPS OF FUEL DRAINED AFTER THE ACCIDENT.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,109 hours in all; 103 in this make and model; 19 in the last 90 days; 1,813 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,455 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 4, 1984; 56 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-R2 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 4, 2,000 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 20,000 ft; scat
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:50 pm from RIC, 32 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.