Cessna 172N accident near Perrysville, Ohio, April 27, 1985
On April 27, 1985 at about 11:30 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N5102D, was substantially damaged in an accident near Perrysville, Ohio (Pleasant Hill Airstrip airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 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
- April 27, 1985 · about 11:30 pm local time
- Place
- Perrysville, Ohio · Pleasant Hill Airstrip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N5102D · registry record · serial 17272422
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ACFT LANDED WITH QUARTERING TAILWIND. ACFT TOUCHED DOWN, BALLOONED AND TOUCHED DOWN AGAIN WITH APRX 1000 FT OF RWY REMAINING. UNABLE TO STOP ON THE TALL WET GRASS, PLT INITIATED A GROUNDLOOP TO THE LEFT INTO A PLOWED FIELD. THE ACFT THEN NOSED OVER.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 310 hours in all; 230 in this make and model; 21 in the last 90 days; 160 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,200 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, February 22, 1985; 23 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CLE Cleveland OH at 10:45 pm
- Destination: Perrysville OH
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 3,000 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 020° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 9,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:50 pm from MFDD, 13 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.