Cessna 185F accident near Pillager, Minnesota, April 24, 1983
On April 24, 1983 at about 1:15 pm local time, a Cessna 185F, registered N29968, was destroyed in an accident near Pillager, Minnesota. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. 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
- April 24, 1983 · about 1:15 pm local time
- Place
- Pillager, Minnesota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 185F · all 185Fs on the register
- Registration
- N29968 · registry record · serial 18504287
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH THE GROUND AFTER DRAGGING THE RIGHT WING IN THE WATER 3 TIMES. THE ACFT DISAPPEARED FROM VIEW OF WITNESSES AROUND A POINT OF LAND IN THE LAKE. THE ACFT WAS HEARD PRODUCING POWER UP TO A 'FEW SECOND' BEFORE A 'THUD' WAS HEARD FOLLOWED BY BLACK SMOKE RISING FROM THE SITE.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,500 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 15, 1982
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520D (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:40 pm from BRD, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
Other NTSB records under N29968 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.