Cessna A185F accident near Houma, Louisiana, June 3, 1984
On June 3, 1984 at about 11:55 pm local time, a Cessna A185F, registered N4665E, was destroyed in an accident near Houma, Louisiana. It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. 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
- June 3, 1984 · about 11:55 pm local time
- Place
- Houma, Louisiana
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A185F · all A185Fs on the register
- Registration
- N4665E · no longer on the register · serial 18503835
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PLT WAS RETURNING TO HOME BASE OF OPERATIONS, EXECUTING STANDARD VISUAL APPROACH ALONG INTERCOASTAL WATERWAY ON WESTERLY BASE HEADING PRIOR TO TURN ON FINAL. ACFT COLLIDED WITH OVERHEAD GROUND WIRES OF POWER TRANSMISSION ARRAY SPANNING THE WATERWAY AT AN OVERPASS. INVESTIGATION REVEALED ACFT HEADING AT TIME OF IMPACT WAS INTO SETTING SUN, WITH STRONG REFLECTIVE GLARE FROM WATER. OPERATOR STATED WIRES WERE MARKED WITH ORANGE BALLS AT TIME OF MISHAP.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 13,000 hours in all; 10,000 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days; 12,739 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,687 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 3, 1983; 93 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Venice LA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.