Piper PA-28-180 accident near Rockledge, Florida, March 31, 1985
On March 31, 1985 at about 5:00 am local time, a Piper PA-28-180, registered N5180S, was destroyed in an accident near Rockledge, Florida. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. 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 31, 1985 · about 5:00 am local time
- Place
- Rockledge, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-180 · all PA-28-180s on the register
- Registration
- N5180S · no longer on the register · serial PA-28-180
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ON MARCH 31, 1985 THE RENTAL ACFT DEPARTED MERRITT ISLAND FLON APRIL 1, 1985 THE ACFT WAS FOUND CRASHED NEAR ROCKLEDGE FL. NO EVIDENCE OF PRE-EXISTING AIRFRAME OR POWERPLANT FAILURE WAS FOUND. THE ACFT IMPACTD THE GROUND IN A HIGH VELOCITY 40 DEGREE NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE. AN INTERVIEW WITH PERSONS WHO HAD BEEN WITH THE PILOT DURING THE PREVIOUS DAY ANDNIGHT REVEALED THAT HE HAD BEEN EMOTIONALLY DISTRAUGHT OVER AN APPARENT OCCASION OF MEDICAL PROBLEMS.
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
- Flight time: 650 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,332 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 6, 1985; 33 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O&VO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Merritt Island Air Servicew
The flight
- Departed from: COI Merritt Island FL at 1:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 12:53 pm from MLB, 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.