Cessna 182P accident near Bly, Oregon, October 15, 1985
On October 15, 1985 at about 1:20 am local time, a Cessna 182P, registered N5837J, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bly, Oregon (None airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. 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
- October 15, 1985 · about 1:20 am local time
- Place
- Bly, Oregon · None · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182P · all 182Ps on the register
- Registration
- N5837J · no longer on the register · serial 18263563
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRSTRIP WAS ONLY 20 FEET WIDE. THE AIRCRAFT WAS LANDED SLIGHTLY TO THE RIGHT OF THE CENTER. THE AIRCRAFT'S RIGHT MAIN GEAR WENT INTO THE GRAVEL AND THE AIRCRAFT VEERED RIGHT. THE NOSE GEAR THEN STRUCK ROCKS AND COLLAPSED. THE AIRCRAFT THEN NOSED OVER.
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: student
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,237 hours in all; 181 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,320 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, January 9, 1985; 38 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LKV Lakeview OR at 1:00 am
- Destination: Bly OR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0, 2,600 ft by 20 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:30 pm
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.