Cessna 172M accident near Walbridge, Ohio, July 5, 1984
On July 5, 1984 at about 8:32 pm local time, a Cessna 172M, registered N9225H, was destroyed in an accident near Walbridge, Ohio (Metcalf airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed and 1 person had minor injuries. 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
- July 5, 1984 · about 8:32 pm local time
- Place
- Walbridge, Ohio · Metcalf · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N9225H · no longer on the register · serial 17266025
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING FLT, THE ACFT ENCOUNTERED HEAVY RAIN & THE PLT ATTEMPTED TO LAND AT A NEARBY ARPT. HOWEVER, DUE TO ANOTHER ACFT ON THE RWY, HE MADE A GO-AROUND. THE SURVIVING PASSENGER (A BOY) REPORTED THAT THE ACFT ENCOUNTERED TURBULENCE, BLACK CLOUDS & RAIN. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT CRASHED, NOSE DOWN, IN AN OPEN FIELD & FLIPPED OVER SEVERAL TIMES. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT A SIGMET HAD BEEN ISSUED FOR RAIN SHOWERS MOVING THRU THE AREA. A WITNESS NEAR THE CRASH SITE STATED THAT THE WIND & RAIN WERE SO HEAVY THAT HE HAD PULLED OFF THE INTERSTATE UNTIL IT PASSED. HE DID NOT SEE THE ACCIDENT, BUT THE SURVIVING PASSENGER WALKED TO THE WITNESS' POSITION. AN EXAM OF THE WRECKAGE & ENG REVEALED NO SIGN OF A PREIMPACT PART FAILURE. A TEST OF THE PLT'S BLOOD SHOWED AN ALCOHOL LEVEL OF 0.126%.
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: 300 hours in all; 25 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,700 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 19, 1984; 73 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 3D8 Bolling Green OH at 7:30 pm
- Destination: TDZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 4, 3,665 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:50 pm from TOL, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 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.