Cessna A185F accident near Bozeman, Montana, March 14, 1986
On March 14, 1986 at about 7:30 pm local time, a Cessna A185F, registered N4984Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bozeman, Montana (Gallatin Fld. 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 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
- March 14, 1986 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- Bozeman, Montana · Gallatin Fld. · 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
- N4984Q · no longer on the register · serial 18503595
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ACCORDING TO THE PLT, SHORTLY AFTER TOUCHDOWN, THE RIGHT WING CAME UP AND THE ACFT SEEMED TO BE PUSHED TO THE LEFT. THE PLT SAID BEFORE HE REGAINED CONTROL, THE LEFT WING AND HORIZONTAL STABILIZER CONTACTED THE GROUND. THE PLT LATER LEARNED THAT A BOEING 767 HAD BEEN DOING LANDINGS AND MAY HAVE GENERATED VORTICES.
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
- Flight time: 320 hours in all; 19 in this make and model; 9 in the last 90 days; 293 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 397 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 22, 1986
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Geraldine MT at 6:30 pm
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 12, 9,002 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,500 ft
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:50 pm from BZN
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.