Cessna 172RG accident near Mt. Lafayette, New Hampshire, December 3, 1985
On December 3, 1985 at about 1:35 pm local time, a Cessna 172RG, registered N5281U, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mt. Lafayette, New Hampshire. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. 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
- December 3, 1985 · about 1:35 pm local time
- Place
- Mt. Lafayette, New Hampshire
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172RG · all 172RGs on the register
- Registration
- N5281U · no longer on the register · serial 172RG0321
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT, WHILE IN CRUISE FLT EN ROUTE TO LYNDONVILLE, VT, ENCOUNTERED A SEVERED DOWNDRAFT AND THE PLT WAS UNABLE TO PENETRATE OR CLIMB OUT OF THE DESCENT. THE ACFT CONTINUED TO DESCEND UNTIL IMPACT WITH A MOUNTAIN OCCURRED. THE ACFT CONTACTED THE TERRAIN AT CLIMB POWER AND ATTITUDE.
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; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 18,000 hours in all; 2,000 in this make and model; 420 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,600 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 19, 1985; 58 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-F1A6 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Ace Aviation,Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: PWM Portland ME at 12:04 pm
- Destination: Lyndonville VT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded at 5,000 ft; not recorded at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
Other NTSB records under N5281U the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.