Cessna 185 accident near Ebensburg, Pennsylvania, November 4, 1988
On November 4, 1988 at about 4:30 am local time, a Cessna 185, registered N4023Y, was destroyed in an accident near Ebensburg, Pennsylvania. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person 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
- November 4, 1988 · about 4:30 am local time
- Place
- Ebensburg, Pennsylvania · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 185 · all 185s on the register
- Registration
- N4023Y · registry record · serial 1850223
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT EXPERIENCED A TOTAL LOSS OF POWER AND CRASHED IN TREES NEAR EBENSBURG, PA. A TEARDOWN INSPECTION REVEALED EXTENSIVE PREIMPACT DAMAGE TO THE ENGINE. THE #3 MAIN BEARING HAD FAILED, CAUSING THE INTERRUPTION OF OIL SUPPLY TO THE #4 AND 5 BEARINGS AND FAILURE OF A CONNECTING ROD. APPROX ONE QT OF OIL WAS IN THE CRANKCASE. METAL PARTICLES AND OIL WERE IN THE OIL PUMP. THE FORCED LDNG WAS INPEDDED BY OIL ON THE WINDSHEILD AND SMOKE IN THE COCKPIT. THE PLT STALLED THE ACFT WHEN HE NOTED THE AIRPLANE BRUSHING AGAINST TREETOPS.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,285 hours in all; 61 in this make and model; 85 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days; 10,055 as pilot in command; 174 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,940 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 29, 1988; 54 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,000 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-470-F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CMH Columbus OH at 1:00 am
- Destination: UNV Universal Park PA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.