Cessna 120 accident near Hart, Michigan, July 22, 1985
On July 22, 1985 at about 1:00 am local time, a Cessna 120, registered N2785N, was substantially damaged in an accident near Hart, Michigan (Oceana County 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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 22, 1985 · about 1:00 am local time · cases in 1985
- Place
- Hart, Michigan · Oceana County · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 120 · all 120s on the register
- Registration
- N2785N · no longer on the register · serial 13046
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT ON THE RETURN LEG OF A X.COUNTRY FLT FAILED TO VISUALLY CHECK HIS FUEL SUPPLY AND SELECTED AN EMPTY TANK FOR TAKEOFF. ON LIFTOFF THE ENGINE STOPPED AND THE PILOT ATTEMPTED TO LD ON THE REMAINING 300 FT OF RUNWAY. AFTER TOUCHDOWN THE ACFT VEERED OFF OF THE RUNWAY INTO SOFT SOIL AND NOSED OVER INVERTED.
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: 983 hours in all; 58 in this make and model; 84 in the last 90 days; 924 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,180 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 12, 1985; 55 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,450 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C85-12 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: C04 Hart MI
- Destination: MKG Muskegon MI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 26, 2,020 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 220° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:00 am from MKG, 37 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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N2785N: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Cessna 120 660 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,684 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental C85-12 82 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Colorado Springs East Airport · nearest airport
- Oceana County · departed from
- Muskegon County · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in Michigan 2,107 since 1982 · 230 in the last ten years
- Michigan 7,224 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CHI85LA306.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.