Cessna 172G accident near Plain City, Ohio, July 29, 1985
On July 29, 1985, a Cessna 172G, registered N4202L, was destroyed in an accident near Plain City, Ohio. It was a personal 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
- July 29, 1985
- Place
- Plain City, Ohio · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172G · all 172Gs on the register
- Registration
- N4202L · registry record · serial 17254271
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT HAD JUST TAKEN OFF FROM HIS PVT STRIP FOR THE FOURTH FLT OF THE DAY WHEN WITNESSES HEARD THE ENG QUIT. THE ACFT HAD BEEN FLOWN 3.4 HRS SINCE THE LAST REFUELING. THE ACFT WAS BEING OPERATED ON A MIXTURE OF AVGAS AND AUTOMOTIVE FUEL WITH NO STC. THE ACFT WAS TURNING BACK TOWARD THE STRIP WHEN IT STALLED AND IMPACTED THE TERRAIN IN A NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE. POST ACCIDENT INSPECTION FAILED TO REVEAL ANY MECHANICAL FAILURE/MALFUNCTION WHICH WOULD HAVE RESULTED IN THE LOSS OF PWR.
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: 896 hours in all; 25 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 879 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,123 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 24, 1984; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 070° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:50 pm from CMH, 15 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.