Cessna 152 accident near Ashdown, Arkansas, January 26, 1985
On January 26, 1985 at about 11:45 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N89782, was destroyed in an accident near Ashdown, Arkansas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 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
- January 26, 1985 · about 11:45 pm local time
- Place
- Ashdown, Arkansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N89782 · no longer on the register · serial 15281066
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ACFT MADE TWO PASSES OVER RESIDENCE TO ALERT FRIEND TO GO TO NEARBY AG STRIP TO PICK UP PLT & PAX. ACFT WAS THEN SEEN FLYING IN AREA AT LOW ALT & SLOW SPEED BY THE FRIEND AS SHE PROCEEDED TO THE STRIP. SHE LOOKED AWAY FROM THE ACFT MOMENTARILY & WHEN SHE LOOKED BACK THE ACFT WAS SPINNING TOWARD THE GROUND. WING FLAPS WERE FOUND FULL DOWN IN WRECKAGE.
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: 65 hours in all; 65 in this make and model; 8 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,339 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, January 15, 1985; 15 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L26 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Aero Dynamics
The flight
- Departed from: DAL Dallas TX at 10:15 pm
- Destination: Texankana TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 9°F (-13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:50 pm from TXK, 11 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.