Cessna A185E accident near Cadillac, Michigan, July 29, 1992
On July 29, 1992 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Cessna A185E, registered N4573F, was substantially damaged in an accident near Cadillac, Michigan (Wexford County airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S PREMATURE LIFTOFF AND SUBSEQUENT STALL MUSH.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 29, 1992 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Cadillac, Michigan · Wexford County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A185E · all A185Es on the register
- Registration
- N4573F · registry record · serial 185-1080
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE FLOAT-MOUNTED AIRPLANE HAD NO WHEELS. THE AIRPLANE WAS PLACED ON A TRAILER AND TOWED DOWN A 2000-FOOT RUNWAY FOR TAKEOFF. THE AIRPLANE LIFTED OFF THE TRAILER, EASED RIGHT, AND SETTLED TO THE RUNWAY. IT BOUNCED, ROCKED FORWARD, AND TUMBLED. THE AIRPORT HAS A 4500-FOOT ASPHALT RUNWAY.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 8,800 hours in all; 1,800 in this make and model; 225 in the last 90 days; 99 in the last 30 days; 7,705 as pilot in command; 1,072 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,451 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 6, 1992; 24 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CAD at 6:00 pm
- Destination: NONE Sapphire Lake MI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 2,005 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 10,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:00 pm from CAD, 1 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.