Cessna 195B accident near Bay City, Texas, March 24, 1985
On March 24, 1985 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Cessna 195B, registered N2163C, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bay City, Texas. It was a personal flight 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
- March 24, 1985 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Bay City, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 195B · all 195Bs on the register
- Registration
- N2163C · no longer on the register · serial 16148
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
CESSNA EXHAUST STACK FAILED AT WELD. HOT EXHAUST BURNED THROUGH MAGNRTO P LEADS AND ENG FAILED. DURING FORCED LANDING ON A NARROW FARM ROAD WITH A QUARTERING TAILWIND. THE ACFT DRIFTED OFF THE SIDE OF THE ROAD DURING THE LANDING ROLL AND NOSED 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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,295 hours in all; 92 in this make and model; 11 in the last 90 days; 2,250 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,946 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 1, 1984; 14 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Jacobs R755B2 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 3R1 Bay City TX at 6:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.