Cessna 320 accident near Ada, Ohio, December 6, 1985
On December 6, 1985 at about 11:50 pm local time, a Cessna 320, registered N5755X, was destroyed in an accident near Ada, Ohio. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. 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
- December 6, 1985 · about 11:50 pm local time
- Place
- Ada, Ohio · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 320 · all 320s on the register
- Registration
- N5755X · no longer on the register · serial 3200055
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT OVERFLEW A PLANNED INTERMEDIATE STOP BEFORE RUNNING LOW ON FUEL. HE WAS UNABLE TO FIND THE AIRPORT HE WAS BEING VECTORED TO & ATTEMPTED TO LAND IN A PLOWED FIELD DURING DARK CONDITIONS. AS THE AIRCRAFT PASSED OVER POWERLINES THE AIRCRAFT WAS OBSERVED TO NOSE 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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,194 hours in all; 7 in this make and model; 11 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 1,068 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,898 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 11, 1985; 35 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,990 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSI0-470-B (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 1J1 St Simons Isl. GA at 6:57 pm
- Destination: PTK Pontiac MI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 270° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 3,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 32°F (0°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Observation at 11:50 pm from FDY, 12 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.