Cessna 182P accident near Ellisonore, Missouri, January 3, 1985
On January 3, 1985 at about 6:30 pm local time, a Cessna 182P, registered N20828, was substantially damaged in an accident near Ellisonore, Missouri. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 3, 1985 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Ellisonore, Missouri · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182P · all 182Ps on the register
- Registration
- N20828 · registry record · serial 18261238
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PLT OBTAINED WX BRIEFING FOR ROUTE FROM MOLINE, IL, ST. LOUIS, MO, MEMPHIS, TX, TO NEW ORLEANS, LA. PLT WAS INFORMED VFRWAS NOT RECOMMENDED IN EASTERN IOWA BUT ST. LOUIS WAS VFR AND FORECAST TO BE 1000 TO 2000 FT BROKEN TO SCATTERED ALL MORNING. VFR WAS ALSO NOT RECOMMENDED IN MEMPHIS. PLT DEPARTED GALESBURG, IL, AND WAS VECTORED AROUND ST. LOUIS BY ATC. PLT STATED HE ENCOUNTERED 2500 TO 3000 FT CEILINGS WEST OF FARMINGTON, MO, AND DECIDED TO LAND AT WALNUT RIDGE, AR. 25 MILES N OF WALNUT RIDGE SNOW AND LOW CEILINGS WERE ENCOUNTERED. UNABLE TO FIND GOOD WX, PLT MADE A PRECAUTIONARY LANDING IN A FIELD DURING WHICH THE ACFT NOSED OVER.
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: 3,700 hours in all; 32 in this make and model; 21 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,980 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 27, 1984
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GBG Galesburg IL at 3:45 pm
- Destination: New Orleans LA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 19°F (-7°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number MKC85LA043.