Cessna 320Q accident near Malinta, Ohio, October 4, 1983
On October 4, 1983 at about 5:00 am local time, a Cessna 320Q, registered N7529Q, was destroyed in an accident near Malinta, Ohio (Henery CO. airport). It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. 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
- October 4, 1983 · about 5:00 am local time
- Place
- Malinta, Ohio · Henery CO. · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 320Q · all 320Qs on the register
- Registration
- N7529Q · no longer on the register · serial 310Q
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT WAS ON A NIGHT X-COUNTRY FLT TO POSITION THE ACFT AT DEFIANCE, OH. IN THE VICINITY OF MALINTA, OH. SEVERAL WITNESSES HEARD AND/OR OBSERVED THE ACFT CIRCLING FOR APRX 5 TO 10 MIN. ABOUT 1/2 OF THOSE WHO HEARD THE ENG SOUNDS SAIDTHE ENGS WERE SPUTTERING OFF & ON. THE OTHERS RECALLED HEARING THE ENG INCREASE & DECREASE IN POWER SEVERAL TIMES. ONE WITNESS STATED THAT THE ENGS SEEMED TO LOSE POWER DURING DESCENTS, BUT WOULD REGAIN POWER AS THE ACFT ENTERED A CLIMB. THIS HAPPENED TWICE. ON THE 3RD DESCENT, THE ACFT CRASHED APRX 2 MI FROM THE HENRY ARPT. THE ARPT WAS EQUIPPED WITH RADIO ACTIVATED RWY LIGHTS. THE IMPACT OCCURRED IN A 19 DEG DESCENT, SLIGHTLY RIGHT WING LOW. AN EXAM OF THE WRECKAGE WAS MADE, BUT NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION WAS FOUND. REPORTEDLY, THE ACFT HAD DEPARTED DETROIT, MI WITH 565 LBS & WOULD HAVE USED AN ESTIMATED 300 LBS, ENROUTE TO CLEVELAND & ANOTHER 300 LBS TO THE ACCIDENT SITE. THE OPERATOR ESTIMATED IT LEFT CLEVELAND WITH 70 GAL. AT 0620 EDT ON 10/3/83, THE PLT GOT A WX BRIEF FOR PREV FLT.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,147 hours in all; 2,195 in this make and model; 310 in the last 90 days; 92 in the last 30 days; 4,898 as pilot in command; 1,671 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,158 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, September 28, 1983; 34 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,300 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-470-VO (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BKL Cleveland OH at 5:03 am
- Destination: DFI Defiance OH
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 200° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 12,000 ft; not recorded at 1,200 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:51 am from TOL, 19 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.