Cessna A185F accident near River Falls, Wisconsin, July 30, 2009
On July 30, 2009 at about 2:38 am local time, a Cessna A185F, registered N989DM, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (descent) near River Falls, Wisconsin (South St Paul Municipal Arpt airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot not checking the security of the fuel caps prior to flight leading to fuel exhaustion and the subsequent non-mechanical loss of engine power during descent.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 30, 2009 · about 2:38 am local time
- Place
- River Falls, Wisconsin · South St Paul Municipal Arpt · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A185F · all A185Fs on the register
- Registration
- N989DM · registry record · serial 18502721
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot had the airplane fueled and then departed on a cross country flight. The airplane lost engine power during descent. The airplane sustained substantial damage when it impacted high vegetation during the forced landing. The pilot stated that he did not check the fuel tank caps before the flight. The fuel tanks did not contain fuel and fuel caps were not in-place on-scene. The airplane's preflight inspection checklist indicate that both fuel tank caps are to be checked for security.
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
What happened, in order
- Preflight or dispatch event during prior to flight
- Fuel exhaustion during enroute (descent) defining event
- Loss of engine power (total) during enroute (descent)
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Forgotten action/omission › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Inspection › Preflight inspection › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › Rough terrain › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 1,575 hours in all; 1,000 in this make and model; 60 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 1,535 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,700 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 1, 2009
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor IO 520 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: OSH Oshkosh WI at 12:30 pm
- Destination: SGS South St Paul MN
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 310° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.86 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CEN09CA477.