Cessna 172M accident near Auburn Center, Pennsylvania, May 4, 1985
On May 4, 1985 at about 2:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172M, registered N6851H, was substantially damaged in an accident near Auburn Center, Pennsylvania (Frank Gomberg Arpt. airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed; 1 other was unhurt. 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
- May 4, 1985 · about 2:00 pm local time
- Place
- Auburn Center, Pennsylvania · Frank Gomberg Arpt. · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N6851H · no longer on the register · serial 17265607
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING ATTEMPTED LANDING ON A NON-CERTIFICATED STRIP, PLT ATTEMPTED A GO AROUND. THE ACFT STRUCK A GROUNDING CABLE WHICH WAS STRETCHED BETWEEN TWO TELEPHONE POLES NEAR THE END OF THE AIRSTRIP. THE ACFT THEN TRAVELED APRX 120 FT BEFORE CONTACTING TREES. WHEN LANDING TO THE NORTH, THE AIRSTRIP HAS AN APRX 5 DEG UPSLOPE.
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: 1,774 hours in all; 64 in this make and model; 73 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 128 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,287 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 11, 1985; 39 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CDN Caldwell PA at 1:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0, 1,732 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.