Cessna 185B accident near Moab, Utah, June 6, 2000
On June 6, 2000 at about 2:00 pm local time, a Cessna 185B, registered N185RL, was destroyed in an accident near Moab, Utah (Mineral Canyon airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The fire in the engine compartment for unknown reason.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 6, 2000 · about 2:00 pm local time
- Place
- Moab, Utah · Mineral Canyon · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 185B · all 185Bs on the register
- Registration
- N185RL · registry record · serial 1850529
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said that as the airplane lifted off, he smelled smoke and the engine began losing power. He said that he still had runway under him, so he landed the airplane. The airplane continued beyond the runway approximately 100 to 200 feet, and came to rest in tall grass. The pilot said that flames immediately erupted from the left side of the engine compartment. He said that flames 'completely engulfed the airplane within 30 seconds.' The salvage man that recovered the airplane reported that the fire had been so intense that 'everything in the engine compartment area had melted/burned away except for steel components.'
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 880 hours in all; 400 in this make and model; 79 in the last 90 days; 33 in the last 30 days; 851 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 14, 2000
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520D (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: NONE at 2:00 pm
- Destination: CNY Moab UT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 2,100 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 pm from CNY, 40 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.