Cessna 182A accident near Williston, Florida, February 17, 1985
On February 17, 1985 at about 5:50 pm local time, a Cessna 182A, registered N3891D, was destroyed in an accident near Williston, Florida (Williston Municipal airport). It was a personal 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 17, 1985 · about 5:50 pm local time
- Place
- Williston, Florida · Williston Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182A · all 182As on the register
- Registration
- N3891D · no longer on the register · serial 34591
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT TOOK OFF WITH THE FUEL SELECTOR ON 'BOTH' AND AT 300 FEET AGL SWITCHED THE FUEL SELECTOR TO 'LEFT'. THE SELECTOR WAS STILL ON 'LEFT' WHEN ENGINE LOST POWER AT THE BEGINNING OF THE BASE LEG. THE PLT TRIED TO REACH THE RWY BUT COLLIDED WITH EDGE OF LIMESTONE PIT ABOUT 1000 FT FROM THE APCH END OF RWY. INVESTIGATION DISCLOSED LEFT FUEL TANK WAS EMPTY AND THERE WERE APRX 4 GALS IN THE RIGHT TANK. EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THE ACFT CRASHED IN A VERY STEEP FLT PATH, SLIGHTLY NOSE HIGH ATTITUDE AND ALMOST NO FORWARD VELOCITY.
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: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 558 hours in all; 38 in this make and model; 21 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 413 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 30,234 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 3, 1984; 78 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-L (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Williston Skydivers,Inc
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:20 pm from GNV, 22 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.