Cessna 404 accident near Indianapolis, Indiana, May 2, 1985
On May 2, 1985 at about 7:49 am local time, a Cessna 404, registered N68103, was involved in an accident near Indianapolis, Indiana. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. 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 2, 1985 · about 7:49 am local time
- Place
- Indianapolis, Indiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 404 · all 404s on the register
- Registration
- N68103 · no longer on the register · serial 4040854
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE RIGHT PROP STRUCK A PERSON WHO WAS LOADING FREIGHT ONTO THE ACFT. THE PLT REPORTED THAT HE HAD STARTED THE RIGHT ENG TO BRING IT UP TO OPERATING TEMP TO DEFORST THE WINDSCREEN. HE STATED THE ENG HAD BEEN RUNNING FOR APRX 3 MINUTES WHEN HE FELT SOMETHING STRIKE THE ACFT. THE ACFT WAS CHOCKED AND THE BRAKES WERE SET WHEN THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED.
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, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,103 hours in all; 498 in this make and model; 239 in the last 90 days; 3,736 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, February 1, 1986; 1,283 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 8,400 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental GTSIO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: IND
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 040° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 600 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:50 am from IND
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.