Cessna 172H accident near Normalville, Pennsylvania, September 26, 1982
On September 26, 1982 at about 4:45 pm local time, a Cessna 172H, registered N8285L, was destroyed in an accident near Normalville, Pennsylvania. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed. 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 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 26, 1982 · about 4:45 pm local time
- Place
- Normalville, Pennsylvania · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172H · all 172Hs on the register
- Registration
- N8285L · registry record · serial 17256485
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING THE WX BRIEFING THE PLT WAS ADVISED OF MARGINAL VMC WITH HIGH OVERCASTS BUT REDUCED VISIBILITIES IN LIGHT RAIN & FOG, WITH RADAR DEPICITING AN AREA OF SHOWERS MOVING INTO THE PITTSBURG AREA FROM THE CAROLINAS. WITNESSES NEAR THE CRASH SITE STATED THE WX WAS RAINY & FOGGY. POSTMORTEM EXAMINATION OF THE PLT REVEALED EVIDENCE OF ARTERIOSCLEROTIC CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE. THE PLT WAS UNDER TREATMENT OF A CARDIOLOGIST SINCE JULY 1981 AT WHICH TIME ISORDIL WAS PRESCRIBED. ISORDIL TABLETS WAS FOUND AMONG THE PLT'S POSSESSIONS. THE PLT WAS EXAMINED FOR & RECEIVED A CLASS III MEDICAL CERTIFICATE ON 4/27/82 AT WHICH TIME HE DENIED CURRENT USE OF MEDICATION OR ANY HISTORY OF HEART TROUBLE.
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: 292 hours in all; 147 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days; 228 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,790 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 105 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: C Belle Vernon PA at 11:45 am
- Destination: C Seven Springs PA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 131°F (55°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.