Event ATL85LA144

1985-04-21 GERMANTOWN, Kentucky, United States Airport · GEO None 1 aircraft Status: Completed

Registry · N85652

FAA Aircraft Registry record.

Make / Model

AERONCA 7AC

Year of manufacture

1946 · 39 years old at event

Engine

CONT MOTOR A&C65 SERIES (65 hp)

Seats / Engines

2 seats · 1 engine

ADS-B equipped

Yes — Mode-S ABC0C4

Registrant of record

STEENSTRY LARRY E

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

N85652 Bellanca 7AC None

Factual narrative

DURING CRUISE FLT OVER HILLY TERRAIN, THE PLT NOTED A POWER LOSS THAT HE DESCRIBED AS THE ENG 'DYING BACK AND THEN CATCHING AGAIN.' HE WAS UNABLE TO MAINTAIN ALT & SELECTED A FIELD FOR A LANDING. DURING THE APCH, THE LEFT MAIN GEAR & PROP HIT 2 POWER LINES. THE POWER LINES BROKE & THE ACFT CONTINUED FLYING. HOWEVER, DURING THE LANDING, THE LEFT MAIN GEAR COLLAPSED & THE ACFT SWERVED & WAS FURTHER DAMAGED. AN EXAM OF THE FUEL TANK REVEALED THAT THE COATING INSIDE THE TANK HAD BEGUN FLAKING & FLAKES HAD PARTIALLY OBSTRUCTED A FUEL SCREEN. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1985_ATL85LA144.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Beyond the agency record

Search this event elsewhere.

Pre-filled searches into the sources where news + community discussion of aviation events lives. External sources are reported, not agency. Treat them as signal that something happened, not as fact about what happened.

TallyAero Live Wire Aviation press

Entity-clustered aviation events in the press — last 24 hr + 30-day archive.

NTSB CAROL Agency ↗

Official agency record + docket.

NTSB Docket Agency ↗

Investigative docket: factual reports, photos, transcripts.

Aviation Safety Network Aviation press ↗

Long-running aviation incident database (Flight Safety Foundation).

Kathryn's Report Aviation press ↗

Community NTSB synthesis blog — often has photos and witness reports.

Aviation Herald Aviation press ↗

Gold-standard aviation incident blog.