Cessna 425 accident near Dayton, Ohio, May 29, 1985
On May 29, 1985 at about 11:28 pm local time, a Cessna 425, registered N2079A, was substantially damaged in an accident near Dayton, Ohio (James M. Cox Dayton Intl airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured; 3 others were 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
- May 29, 1985 · about 11:28 pm local time
- Place
- Dayton, Ohio · James M. Cox Dayton Intl
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 3 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 425 · all 425s on the register
- Registration
- N2079A · no longer on the register · serial 425-0001
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT INVOLVED WAS EXPERIMENTALLY CONFIGURED WITH 4-BLADED PROPS AND WAS ON A TEST FLT TO DETERMINE HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS FOLLOWING A THROTTLE CHOP TO IDLE POWER AT 50 FT AGL. THIS MANEUVER HAD BEEN ACCOMPLISHED TWICE ON THE TEST FLT WITHOUT INCIDENT. ON THE THIRD LANDING, THE PLT LATER STATED, THAT HE RETARDED THE THROTTLES MORE BRISKLY THAN ON PREVIOUS APPROACHES. OBSERVERS ON THE PLANE AND ON THE GROUND THEN SAW A YAW AND A WING DROP. THE RIGHT GEAR STRUCK THE RWY FIRST, FOLLOWED BY THE LEFT AND NOSE GEARS. ALL THREE GEAR THEN SHEARED OFF. THE ACFT SLID TO A STOP OFF THE RWY 975 FT FROM INITIAL IMPACT. A POST-ACCIDENT TEARDOWN OF THE PROPS REVEALED NO PREEXISTING MISADJUSTMENTS OR ABNORMALITIES.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 12,220 hours in all; 11 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 876 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 6,800 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W PT6A-112 (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 24L, 7,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; not recorded at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:35 pm from DAY, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N2079A the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.