Cessna 172H accident near Bullhead City, Arizona, May 7, 1985
On May 7, 1985 at about 1:00 am local time, a Cessna 172H, registered N8188L, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bullhead City, Arizona. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. 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
- May 7, 1985 · about 1:00 am local time
- Place
- Bullhead City, Arizona
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172H · all 172Hs on the register
- Registration
- N8188L · no longer on the register · serial 17256388
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT REPORTED THAT WHILE HE WAS FLYING & LOOKING FOR 'WILD ANIMALS AT THE BASE OF THE MOUNTAIN' THE ACFT'S ENG LOST POWER. THE ACFT DESCENDED & WHEN IT WAS CLOSE TO THE GROUND ENG POWER WAS REACQUIRED. THE PLT FURTHER REPORTED THAT THERE WAS 'SEVERE' TURBULENCE, & THE WIND WAS BLOWING 'FROM ALL DIRECTIONS' AT 35 KTS. THE PLT ATTEMPTED TO OUT CLIMB RISING TERRAIN, BUT THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH THE GROUND & NOSED OVER. THE REASON FOR THE REPORTED LOSS OF ENG POWER IS UNDETERMINED.
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: 8,345 hours in all; 6,500 in this make and model; 80 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,976 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 9, 1984
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LHU Lake Havasu Cty AZ
- Destination: P06 Bullhead City AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 109°F (43°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 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.