Cessna 172M accident near St. Thomas, August 19, 1985
On August 19, 1985 at about 5:32 pm local time, a Cessna 172M, registered N22198, was destroyed in an accident near St. Thomas. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were 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
- August 19, 1985 · about 5:32 pm local time
- Place
- St. Thomas
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N22198 · no longer on the register · serial 17264057
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WITNESSES STATED THE ACFT WAS FLYING SLOW AT APRX 200 FT ALT PHOTOGRAPHING A GROUP OF SAIL BOATS. AS THE PLT ENTERED A LEFT TURN TO REVERSE COURSE, IT STALLED AND NOSED DOWN STRIKING THE WATER IN A NEAR VERTICAL ATTITUDE. AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT THE ACFT WAS APRX 35 LBS OVER THE MAX ALLOWABLE GROSS WEIGHT FOR THE ACFT AND CENTER OF GRAVITY LIMIT.
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: 1,150 hours in all; 720 in this make and model; 110 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days; 900 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,356 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 27, 1985; 70 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E20 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: STT St. Thomas at 7:55 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 080° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 9 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:45 pm from STT, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N22198 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.