Cessna 185F accident near Benson, Minnesota, September 23, 1988
On September 23, 1988 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Cessna 185F, registered N3815Q, was destroyed in an accident near Benson, Minnesota (Benson airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. 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
- September 23, 1988 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Benson, Minnesota · Benson · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 185F · all 185Fs on the register
- Registration
- N3815Q · no longer on the register · serial 18502203
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WITNESSES REPORTED THAT THE AIRCRAFT BOUNCED TWICE ON THE RUNWAY BEFORE THE RIGHT WING TIP STRUCK THE GROUND ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE RUNWAY. THE AIRCRAFT 'CARTWHEELED' AND CAME TO A REST ON IT'S LEFT SIDE.
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: 1,801 hours in all; 42 in this make and model; 74 in the last 90 days; 22 in the last 30 days; 1,801 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 713 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 26, 1988; 18 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,320 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BZN Bozeman MT at 5:00 pm
- Destination: BBB Benson MN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 32, 4,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,500 ft
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:55 pm from AXN, 34 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
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.