Cessna 175B accident near Cleveland, Texas, September 15, 2005
On September 15, 2005, a Cessna 175B, registered N8285T, was destroyed in an accident near Cleveland, Texas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed resulting in an inadvertent stall/spin. A contributing factor was the low altitude.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 15, 2005
- Place
- Cleveland, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 175B · all 175Bs on the register
- Registration
- N8285T · no longer on the register · serial 17556985
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The 1,220-hour pilot lost control of the single-engine airplane while maneuvering at a low altitude over an area leased for deer hunting. No flight plan was filed, and the airplane was not reported missing until the following day. No radio transmissions or distress calls were received, and there were no reported eyewitnesses to the accident. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, with more than 10 miles of visibility. The airplane came to rest in a near vertical position with the engine and nose section driven into the ground. Flight control continuity was established at the accident site, and no evidence of preimpact mechanical failure or malfunction was observed.
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 multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,220 hours in all; 150 in this make and model; 23 in the last 90 days; 29 in the last 30 days; 1,085 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 1, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,204.5 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 1, 2005; 167 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,350 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Experimental O-360-A2A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 6R3 Cleveland TX at 10:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds; ovct at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 93°F (34°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 29.90 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 pm from CXO, 23 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.