Cessna A185F accident near Patterson, Louisiana, July 12, 1985
On July 12, 1985 at about 6:08 pm local time, a Cessna A185F, registered N9905N, was substantially damaged in an accident near Patterson, Louisiana. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were 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
- July 12, 1985 · about 6:08 pm local time
- Place
- Patterson, Louisiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A185F · all A185Fs on the register
- Registration
- N9905N · no longer on the register · serial 18504369
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED WHEN IT WAS RAMMED BY A SPEED BOAT AFTER IT HAD LANDED ON A CANAL AND WAS WATER TAXIING TO ITS TIE DOWN AREA. THE BOAT CAME OUT OF A CROSSING CANAL AT HIGH SPEED AND STRUCK THE AMPHIB IN THE AREA OF THE LEFT FLOAT. THE BOAT OPERATOR STATED THAT HE EXITED THE CANAL AT HIGH SPEED IN ORDER TO CLEAR SOME SHALLOW WATER AND THAT HE DID NOT SEE THE ACFT DUE TO TREES EXTENDING INTO THE MAIN CANAL.
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 sea
- Flight time: 1,840 hours in all; 444 in this make and model; 115 in the last 90 days; 1,723 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 373 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 12, 1985; 126 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,100 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Vermillion LA at 5:05 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 91°F (33°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.