Cessna 172P accident near Comanche, Texas, February 19, 1985
On February 19, 1985 at about 2:00 am local time, a Cessna 172P, registered N54149, was destroyed in an accident near Comanche, Texas. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. 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
- February 19, 1985 · about 2:00 am local time
- Place
- Comanche, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172P · all 172Ps on the register
- Registration
- N54149 · no longer on the register · serial 17274890
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PLT FLEW THE ACFT INTO RISING TERRAIN IN A WINGS LEVEL ATTITUDE DURING A PERIOD OF LOW CEILINGSON A DARK NIGHT. THE PLT STATED HE WAS DESCENDING TO STAY CLEAR OF THE OVERCAST AND NEVER SAW THE GROUND. PLT HAD A TOTAL OF 80 HRS FLT TIME.
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: 80 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,950 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 16, 1984; 140 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2J (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: F54 Arlington TX at 11:00 pm
- Destination: BWD Brownwood TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 040° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,700 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.