Cessna A185F accident near Isanti, Minnesota, May 13, 1998
On May 13, 1998 at about 7:15 pm local time, a Cessna A185F, registered N7140H, was substantially damaged in an accident near Isanti, Minnesota. 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 soft terrain condition. A factor was the failure of the crankshaft.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 13, 1998 · about 7:15 pm local time
- Place
- Isanti, Minnesota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A185F · all A185Fs on the register
- Registration
- N7140H · no longer on the register · serial 18503351
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot of a single-engine amphibious float-equipped airplane said her propeller RPM began to flucuate during cruise flight. She said when she attempted to adjust the RPM '...the engine clunked a couple of times and lost all power.' The pilot made a forced landing on a grassy field. She said the airplane touched down on the main float wheels that '...dug into the soft ground... .' The nosewheels touched down and the airplane nosed over on its back according to the pilot. The airplane's pilot operating handbook states that a '...landing on land without engine power [should be made] with the landing gear UP on soft or rough ground... and DOWN on firm or smooth ground.' An examination of the engine revealed it had been installed on another airplane before being put onto the accident airplane. The crankshaft had completely failed at the forward radius of the number 3 main bearing journal. The number 3 main bearing had shifted forward. The engine had 1,056-hours since it had been factory remanufactured.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 14,300 hours in all; 1,200 in this make and model; 160 in the last 90 days; 65 in the last 30 days; 7,000 as pilot in command; 530 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,891 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 1, 1997; 30 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming TIO-540J2BD (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 1MN8 Webster MN at 6:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: not reported
- Wind: from 170° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 19°F (-7°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:15 pm from CBG, 7 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.