Cessna 182J accident near Danville, Pennsylvania, August 29, 1985
On August 29, 1985 at about 11:00 am local time, a Cessna 182J, registered N3319F, was substantially damaged in an accident near Danville, Pennsylvania (Danville airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people had minor injuries; 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
- August 29, 1985 · about 11:00 am local time
- Place
- Danville, Pennsylvania · Danville · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182J · all 182Js on the register
- Registration
- N3319F · no longer on the register · serial 18257319
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING AN APCH, THE ACFT WAS CONFIGURED WITH FULL FLAPS & WAS TRIMMED FOR 65 KTS. AT ABOUT 150 FEET FROM THE DESIRED TOUCHDOWN POINT, THE PLT REDUCED POWER TO LAND. MOMENTARILY AFTER THAT, THE STALL WARNING HORN SOUNDED & THE ACFT FELL 10 TO 20 FT, IMPACTING THE GROUND APRX 20 TO 30 FT SHORT OF THE RWY. DURING IMPACT, THE NOSE WHEEL WAS TORN FROM THE ACFT. THE ACFT THEN BOUNCED ONTO THE RWY, SKIDDED ABOUT 100 FT & NOSED OVER. A WITNESS NEAR THE APCH END OF THE RWY SAID THE ACFT APPEARED TO BE SLOWER THAN NORMAL & IN A NOSE HIGH SLIP. NO SOUND OF ENG POWER WAS HEARD AS THE ACFT WAS ABOUT TO LAND.
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: 208 hours in all; 177 in this make and model; 34 in the last 90 days; 140 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,105 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 24, 1984; 944 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 58N Palmyra PA at 10:30 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 2,140 ft by 350 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Wind: from 280° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 10,000 ft; not recorded at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Observation at 10:45 am from LXY
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 | 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.