Cessna 172P II accident near Cedar City, Utah, August 18, 1985
On August 18, 1985 at about 1:25 am local time, a Cessna 172P II, registered N54168, was destroyed in an accident near Cedar City, Utah. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were 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
- August 18, 1985 · about 1:25 am local time
- Place
- Cedar City, Utah · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172P II · all 172P IIs on the register
- Registration
- N54168 · no longer on the register · serial 17273898
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT TOOK THREE OF HIS FRIENDS UP FOR A PLEASURE FLT IN THE LOCAL AREA OF CEDAR CITY, UTAH. VMC PREVAILED AT THE TIME. THE PLT CONTINUED TO CLIMB HIS ACFT AS IT PASSED OVER RISING TERRAIN. THE FLT TERMINATED IN A BOX CANYON WITH HIGH TERRAIN ON ALL SIDES. THE ACFT IMPACTED THREES AND WAS DESTROYED IN A POST ACCIDENT FIRE. THERE WERE NO SURVIVORS.
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: 72 hours in all; 21 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,792 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 14, 1984; 130 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2J (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Freedom Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: SGU St. George UT at 1:00 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 170° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 60 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:45 am from CDC, 15 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.