Cessna A185F accident near Slidell, Louisiana, April 20, 1985
On April 20, 1985 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Cessna A185F, registered N93485, was substantially damaged in an accident near Slidell, Louisiana. 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
- April 20, 1985 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Slidell, Louisiana
- 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
- N93485 · no longer on the register · serial 1823238
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT REPORTED THAT DURING A WATER LANDING, THE LEFT FLOAT DRAGGED, BUT HE WAS ABLE TO 'PULL IT OUT' & STARTED TO ADD POWER TO GO AROUND. HOWEVER, HE SAW POWER LINES AHEAD & REALIZED THAT A GO-AROUND WAS NOT POSSIBLE. HE SAID HE 'PLANTED IT BACK ON THE WATER' & THEN THE ACFT NOSED OVER. WITNESSES REPORTED THE PLT WAS ATTEMPTING TO LAND ON THE WATERWAY WHEN A BOAT APPROACHED FROM THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION. THE PLT ADDED POWER TO GO-AROUND AND VEERED THE ACFT TO THE RIGHT AT WHICH TIME THE RIGHT FLOAT CAUGHT AND THE ACFT NOSED OVER. THE PLT USED POOR JUDGEMENT IN ATTEMPTING A LANDING ON THE EDEN ISLE WATERWAY WHICH AN UNAPPROVED WATERWAY FOR SEAPLANE OPERATIONS.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 14,000 hours in all; 200 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,200 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 15, 1985
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Slidell LA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0, 1,000 ft by 140 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 6,000 ft; scat at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:50 pm from NEW, 10 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.
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.