Cessna 172 M accident near Gravois Mills, Missouri, August 29, 1985
On August 29, 1985 at about 4:10 pm local time, a Cessna 172 M, registered N6982H, was substantially damaged in an accident near Gravois Mills, Missouri (Wulff Harbor airport). 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 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 29, 1985 · about 4:10 pm local time
- Place
- Gravois Mills, Missouri · Wulff Harbor
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 M · all 172 Ms on the register
- Registration
- N6982H · no longer on the register · serial 17265680
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT REPORTS THAT HE BEGAN HIS TAKEOFF ON RWY 07 WHICH IS 2550 FT LONG, HAS AN ASPHALT SURFACE AND A DOWNHILL SLOPE. PLT SAID THE RWY IS ROUGH. HE SAID THE ACFT DID NOT ACHIEVE THE SPEED DESIRED AND HE REDUCED POWER TO ABORT. HE THEN DECIDED TO ATTEMPT THE TAKEOFF AGAIN AND READVANCED THE THROTTLE. THE ACFT BECAME AIRBORNE BUT STALLED AND CRASHED INTO TREES OFF THE END OF THE RWY.
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; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 359 hours in all; 53 in this make and model; 41 in the last 90 days; 294 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,235 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 31, 1985; 25 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: CPS East St. Louis MO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 7, 2,550 ft by 40 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Wind: from 210° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 15,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:45 pm from JEF, 36 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.
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.