Cessna 172P accident near Lancaster, Ohio, June 23, 1985
On June 23, 1985 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172P, registered N96570, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lancaster, Ohio (Fairfield CO.). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were 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
- June 23, 1985 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Lancaster, Ohio · Fairfield CO. · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172P · all 172Ps on the register
- Registration
- N96570 · registry record · serial 17276087
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH A FENCE DURING LANDING THE WIND WAS FROM 230 DEGREES AT 14 KTS AND THE LANDG WAS ON RWY 28 THE PLT SAID THAT MAY BE SHE WOULD HAVE HAD BETTER CONTROL WITH LESS THAN FULL FLAPS.
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: 146 hours in all; 58 in this make and model; 11 in the last 90 days; 81 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 790 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 2, 1984; 4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming 0320D2J (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: I15 Lancaster OH at 6:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 28, 5,200 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:50 pm from CMH, 25 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.