Stinson L-5 accident near Waynesville, Ohio, July 28, 1985
On July 28, 1985 at about 8:45 pm local time, a Stinson L-5, registered N1156V, was substantially damaged in an accident near Waynesville, Ohio (Waynesville airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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
- July 28, 1985 · about 8:45 pm local time
- Place
- Waynesville, Ohio · Waynesville · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Stinson L-5 · all L-5s on the register
- Registration
- N1156V · registry record · serial 60507
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT TOOK OFF ON A TEST FLT TO CHECK THE ENG AFTER IT HAD BEEN INSPECTED & THE CARBURETOR HAD BEEN OVERHAULED. HE MADE A GROUND CHECK & FULL ENG RUN-UP BEFORE TAKING OFF. INTENDING TO STAY IN A CLOSED TRAFFIC PATTERN, HE TOOK OFF, MADE A NORMAL CLIMB IN THE TRAFFIC PATTERN, THEN TURNED ONTO A DOWNWIND. WHILE ON DOWNWIND, THE ENG SPUTTERED. THE PLT SWITCHED FUEL TANKS & PUMPED THE THROTTLE, & THE ENG RESTARTED, BUT A FEW SECONDS LATER, IT LOST POWER AGAIN. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO RETURN TO THE RWY, THE PLT MADE A 360 DEG TURN TO AVOID A GLIDER & TO LOSE ALT. HE STATED THAT DURING THE MANEUVER, HE LOST SIGHT OF THE GLIDER, & WHILE TRYING TO RELOCATE IT, HE LOST TOO MUCH ALT. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT CRASH LANDED IN TREES ABOUT 50 FEET SHORT OF THE RWY. AN EXAM REVEALED THAT THE CARBURETOR FLOAT HAD BEEN ADJUSTED FOR 0.25' OF TRAVEL. THE MINIMUM TRAVEL PER INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS SHOULD HAVE BEEN 0.50'.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 4,360 hours in all; 28 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 4,330 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,004 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 27, 1985; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,250 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-435-C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 9, 2,600 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:50 pm from DAY, 18 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.