Cessna A185F accident near Catahoula, Louisiana, September 13, 1985
On September 13, 1985 at about 4:00 pm local time, a Cessna A185F, registered N333WL, was destroyed in an accident near Catahoula, Louisiana. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 2 people were seriously injured. 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
- September 13, 1985 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- Catahoula, Louisiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A185F · all A185Fs on the register
- Registration
- N333WL · no longer on the register · serial 18504127
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT TOOK OFF FROM A BAYOU WITH INADEQUATE DISTANCE TO CLIMB ABOVE THE TREES GROWING ALONG EACH SIDE BEFORE THE BAYOU MADE AN APRX 120-DEG RIGHT TURN. IN ORDER TO AVOID COLLISION WITH THE TREES THE PLT ENTERED A STEEP BANKED RIGHT TURN TO FOLLOW THE BAYOU. WHILE IN THE STEEP TURN THE ACFT STALLED AND SNAPPED SHARPLY TO THE LEFT. IT THEN IMPACTED TREES ALONG THE RIGHT BANK OF THE BAYOU AND THEN THE BANK ITSELF. THE ACFT CAME TO REST INVERTED AND PARTIALLY SUBMERGED IN THE BAYOU.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 3,958 hours in all; 2,877 in this make and model; 137 in the last 90 days; 3,884 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,807 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection; 57 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:00 am
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.