Cessna A185F accident near Bottineau, North Dakota, September 4, 1998
On September 4, 1998 at about 1:00 am local time, a Cessna A185F, registered N1005F, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bottineau, North Dakota. 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 partial loss of engine power for undetermined reasons, and the pilot's excessive use of brake pressure which resulted in the aircraft nosing over..
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 4, 1998 · about 1:00 am local time
- Place
- Bottineau, North Dakota · 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
- N1005F · registry record · serial 185-02677
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was circling over his father's house when the engine 'experienced a power shortage.' He made a precautionary landing in a field during which time the 'tail came up', the propeller contacted the ground, and the airplane nosed over. The pilot stated the engine may have been running rough because he did not enrich the mixture after having leaned it at 5,000 feet. The airplane touched down 1/2 way down the 1,000 foot long field and traveled about 150 feet prior to nosing over. There were no tail wheel tracks during the time the airplane was on the ground. The pilot had been known to land in this field in the past.
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: 1,002 hours in all; 80 in this make and model; 50 in the last 90 days; 42 in the last 30 days; 890 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,357 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 7, 1998
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: D09
- Destination: D09
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.
Other NTSB records under N1005F 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.