Cessna 185C accident near Cedar City, Utah, February 9, 1987
On February 9, 1987 at about 11:40 pm local time, a Cessna 185C, registered N2691Z, was substantially damaged in an accident near Cedar City, Utah. It was a business 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
- February 9, 1987 · about 11:40 pm local time
- Place
- Cedar City, Utah · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 185C · all 185Cs on the register
- Registration
- N2691Z · registry record · serial 1850691
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING NORMAL DESCENT AT SEVEN-THOUSAND FT MSL, ACFT STRUCK A BIRD. THE LEFT WING TIP LEADING EDGE INCURRED A DENT TWENTY-FOUR INCHES LONG AND TWELVE INCHES DEEP. DIRECTIONAL CONTROL BECAME DIFFICULT SO PLT MADE A PRECAUTIONARY LANDING ON HIGHWAY I-15, AND TAXIED TWO MILES TO CEDAR CITY ARPT.
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
- Flight time: 2,010 hours in all; 2,010 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 2,010 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,100 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 1, 1986
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental I0-470-F (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Keith R. Hooker, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: PVI Provo UT
- Destination: SGU St. George UT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Visibility: 60 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 7,000 ft
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:50 pm from CDC, 8 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.
Other NTSB records under N2691Z 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.