Cessna 185F accident near Belle Chasse, Louisiana, April 18, 1984
On April 18, 1984 at about 1:30 pm local time, a Cessna 185F, registered N69GV, suffered minor damage in an accident near Belle Chasse, Louisiana. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. 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
- April 18, 1984 · about 1:30 pm local time
- Place
- Belle Chasse, Louisiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 185F · all 185Fs on the register
- Registration
- N69GV · registry record · serial 18502725
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHEN THE PLT ATTEMPTED TO START THE ENG, IT 'HUNG UP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE COMPRESSION STROKE.' HE STATED THAT AFTER CONFIRMING THAT THE MAGNETOS WERE OFF, HE ATTEMPTED TO 'FREE THE PROPELLER BY HAND.' THE ENG STARTED AS SOON AS THE PROPELLER WAS MOVED. THE NON-PLT PASSENGER IN THE RIGHT FRONT SEAT TRIED TO STOP THE AIRPLANE WITH THE MAGNETO SWITCH. HOWEVER, THE ACFT CONTINUED ABOUT 100 YDS, ROLLED THRU A GUARD RAIL & NOSED DOWN INTO A CANAL. THE MAGNETO SWITCH WAS FOUND IN THE 'BOTH' POSITION, FUEL MIXTURE WAS FULL RICH & THE THROTTLE WAS ADVANCED. A CHECK OF THE MAGNETOS REVEALED NO MALFUNCTION.
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; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 4,001 hours in all; 1,355 in this make and model; 135 in the last 90 days; 45 in the last 30 days; 3,885 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,380 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 14, 1984; 4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,100 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Southern Seaplane INC
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 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.