Cessna 152 accident near Roby, Texas, April 17, 1985
On April 17, 1985 at about 6:20 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N89862, was destroyed in an accident near Roby, Texas. It was an aerial observation 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
- April 17, 1985 · about 6:20 pm local time
- Place
- Roby, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N89862 · no longer on the register · serial 15282895
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial observation flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PIPELINE PATROL PLT DIVERTED FROM THE NORMAL ROUTE TO CIRCLE OVER A HOUSE IN WHICH HE USED TO LIVE. WITNESSES REPORTED THE ACFT WAS IN A LOW ALT LEFT TURN WHEN THE LEFT WING DROPPED AND THE RATE OF TURN INCREASED. THE ACFT IMPACTED A TREE IN A STEEP NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE. NO EVIDENCE OF AN ENG FAILURE/MALFUNCTION WAS FOUND.
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: single-engine land
- Flight time: 4,963 hours in all; 300 in the last 90 days; 4,907 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,972 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 28, 1984
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SNK Snyder TX
- Destination: ETN Eastland TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 30,000 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:51 pm from ABI, 41 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.