- Date
- May 20, 1990, 14:42 local (21:42 UTC)
- Place
- Terra Bella, CA
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N1211FCessna 185F
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 10, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900520016669A
- Case key
- 26810
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's preflight planning and preparation was poor. Contributing to this accident was the high vegetation field.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The pilot landed the land/seaplane in the grain field after experiencing a total loss of power. The landing was uneventful. Personnel from the airport fixed base operator brought the pilot 10 gallons of gas which he put into the fuel tanks. The pilot departed the field, but the airplane's left amphibian skid struck the high vegetation covered barbed wire fence.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1211F
- Reported as
- Cessna 185F
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18502774
- Airframe hours
- 1,496
- Engine
- Continental IO-520-D, 285 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- H & J Sales
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 4, 1989 · 37 hours before
- Departed
- Lake Mead, NV
- Destination
- PTV · Porterville, CA
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 75
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 6,790 total · 635 in this make and model · 6,790 as pilot in command · 18 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 300° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 25 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.