Cessna 185 accident near St. Ignace, Michigan, January 20, 1986
On January 20, 1986 at about 1:00 pm local time, a Cessna 185, registered N1573F, was substantially damaged in an accident near St. Ignace, Michigan (Mackinac County airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. 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
- January 20, 1986 · about 1:00 pm local time
- Place
- St. Ignace, Michigan · Mackinac County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 185 · all 185s on the register
- Registration
- N1573F · registry record · serial 185-0949
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT STATED THAT AFTER THE APPLICATION OF FULL POWER FOR TAKEOFF HIS SEAT SLID BACK TO ITS FULL AFT POSITION. HE COULD NOT REACH ANY OF THE CONTROLS. HE THEN UNFASTENED HIS SEAT BELT AND LUNGED FORWARD TO PULL THE POWER OFF. AT THIS TIME THE RIGHT WING HIT A SNOWBANK AND SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE. LATER, THE PILOT COULD NOT DETERMINE WHETHER THE SEAT TRACK OR THE RETAINING PIN WAS WORN.
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
- Flight time: 361 hours in all; 179 in this make and model; 51 in the last 90 days; 270 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,547 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 16, 1985; 107 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental I0-470-F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: Y84 Mackinac Isl MI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 7, 3,200 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 2,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.
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.