Cessna 182 accident near St. Marys, Georgia, May 30, 1985
On May 30, 1985 at about 9:45 pm local time, a Cessna 182, registered N21211, was destroyed in an accident near St. Marys, Georgia (Cumberland Island airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. 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 30, 1985 · about 9:45 pm local time
- Place
- St. Marys, Georgia · Cumberland Island · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182 · all 182s on the register
- Registration
- N21211 · no longer on the register · serial 18261490
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT STATED THAT HE ESTABLISHED A NORMAL APCH OVER THE TREES TO THE 2000 FT DRY SOD RWY. AFTER CLEARING THE TREES, A HIGH SINK RATE DEVELOPED WHICH WAS NOT ARRESTED UNTIL THE ACFT IMPACTED THE RWY ON ALL THREE WHEELS, SLID 66 FT, THEN NOSED OVER. THE PLT STATED THAT WIND SHEAR OR TURBULENCE MAY BEEN A MAJOR FACTOR IN THIS ACCIDENT. THE WINDS WERE ALIGNED WITHIN 10 DEGS OF THE RWY ALIGNMENT AT 12 KNOTS. NO WIND GUSTS WERE REPORTED.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,328 hours in all; 606 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 1,169 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,704 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 29, 1985
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 4J6 St. Marys GA at 9:37 pm
- Destination: GA20 Cumberland Is. GA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 13, 2,000 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: scat
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:18 pm from 1J1, 20 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.