Cessna 172 accident near Lawtey, Florida, July 25, 1985
On July 25, 1985 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172, registered N8151X, was destroyed in an accident near Lawtey, Florida. It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was 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
- July 25, 1985 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Lawtey, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N8151X · registry record · serial 17248651
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT HAD NOT BEEN FLOWN FOR TWO YEARS. DURING THE PREFLT INSPECTON, THE FUEL SUMPS WERE DRAINED REPEATEDLY & EACH TIME, A QUANTITY OF WATER WAS OBSERVED IN THE COLLECTED FUEL SAMPLE. APRX 30 MINS AFTER TAKEOFF, THE ENG FAILED & A FORCED LANDING WAS EXECUTED ON A DIRT ROAD. DURING THE LANDING ROLL, THE RIGHT WING STRUCK SOME BUSHES & ACFT VEERED INTO A ROADSIDE DITCH & FLIPPED INVERTED. A POST-ACCIDENT EXAMINATION OF THE FUEL SYS REVEALED THE PRESENCE OF WATER & OTHER FOREIGN MATTER IN THE SYS.
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: 81 hours in all; 81 in this make and model; 2 in the last 90 days; 36 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,685 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 14, 1984; 2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,075 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 23J Jacksonville FL at 8:30 pm
- Destination: 72J Keystone Height FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 8,000 ft; scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 pm from CRG, 23 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.