- Date
- September 27, 2025, 09:50 local (16:50 UTC)
- Place
- Ilwaco, WA · Open Field
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N186XCessna 185A
- Defining event
- Approach: Loss of engine power (total)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 14, 2025
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20250927021579A
- Case key
- 201751
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 inadequate preflight inspection, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.
Findings · 5
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot of the tailwheel equipped airplane reported that about 2 miles east of the destination airport the engine began to run rough. He elected to make a precautionary landing to an open field, while on approach to land, the engine lost all power. During the landing roll the airplane impacted a ditch, which resulted in substantial damage to the left wing. Postaccident examination of the airplane by the pilot revealed that the fuel tanks contained no usable fuel. The pilot stated that during his preflight inspection, he did not visually verify the fuel levels in the fuel tanks and relied on the fuel analyzer. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N186X
- Reported as
- Cessna 185A
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 1850437
- Built
- 1962
- Airframe hours
- 113.4
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-G1C5, 290 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 2, 2025
- Departed
- 1W1 · Camas, WA
- Destination
- 7W1 · Ilwaco, WA
- Airport
- 7W1 · Port Of Ilwaco
- Equipment
- Electronic primary flight display, Onboard weather, ADS-B, Angle of attack indicator, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Electronic multifunction display
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
- 62
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- February 15, 2025
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 28,600 total · 113.4 in this make and model · 15,100 as pilot in command · 240 in the last 90 days · 80 in the last 30 days · 5.5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 120° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 59 °F, dew point 54 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.86 inHg
- Observed at
- KAST, 10 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KAST 271655Z AUTO 12003KT 10SM CLR 15/12 A2986 RMK AO2 SLP110 T01500122 $=
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 14, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.9 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.