Cessna 172F accident near Akron, Ohio, April 20, 1985
On April 20, 1985 at about 1:06 am local time, a Cessna 172F, registered N5608R, was substantially damaged in an accident near Akron, Ohio (Akron Fulton Intl. Arpt airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. 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
- April 20, 1985 · about 1:06 am local time
- Place
- Akron, Ohio · Akron Fulton Intl. Arpt · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172F · all 172Fs on the register
- Registration
- N5608R · no longer on the register · serial 17253218
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT CONTACTED TREES DURING A NIGHT FORCED LANDING FOLLOWING A LOSS OF PWR. STATE PATROL PERSONNEL REPORTED THERE WAS NO SIGN OF FUEL ON BOARD THE ACFT AT THE ACCIDENT SITE. THE ENG WAS TEST RUN AFTER THE ACCIDENT, DURING WHICH TIME IT FUNCTIONED NORMALLY.
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: instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,115 hours in all; 875 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days; 1,055 as pilot in command; 60 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,507 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 8, 1985
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 1G3 Kent OH
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 25, 6,355 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 240° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:25 am from CAK, 14 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.