Cessna A185F incident near Pilottown, Louisiana, September 2, 1993
On September 2, 1993 at about 4:00 pm local time, a Cessna A185F, registered N6279E, was involved in an incident near Pilottown, Louisiana. It was a positioning 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 PILOT IN COMMAND BECOMING PHYSICALLY INCAPACITATED (HEART ATTACK).
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 2, 1993 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- Pilottown, Louisiana
- Type
- Incident
- 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
- N6279E · no longer on the register · serial 18504019
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIR TAXI PILOT LANDED ON A RIVER AND HIS TWO PASSENGERS DISEMBARKED. THE AIRPLANE'S OWNER FLEW OVER THE RIVER AND SAW THE PILOT WAVE AT HIM. THE OWNER THEN OBSERVED THE AIRPLANE WATER TAXIING SLOWLY ACROSS THE RIVER. THE OWNER FLEW LOW OVER THE RIVER, OBSERVED THE PILOT SLUMPED OVER THE CONTROLS, AND WATCHED AS THE AIRPLANE TAXIED INTO THE RIVER BANK. THE OWNER LANDED AND FOUND THE PILOT WAS NOT BREATHING AND HAD NO PULSE. THE PILOT WAS LATER PRONOUNCED DEAD ON ARRIVAL AT A NEARBY HOSPITAL. AUTOPSY PROTOCOL ATTRIBUTED DEATH TO 'ACUTE CORONARY INSUFFICIENCY DUE TO ATHEROSCLEROTIC CARDIOVASCVLAR DISEASE AND ABNORMAL CORONARY ARTERY DISTRIBUTION.'
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; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 20,000 hours in all; 5,000 in this make and model; 103 in the last 90 days; 49 in the last 30 days; 18,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,198 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 20, 1993; 82 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,320 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D34 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 1,500 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
Other NTSB records under N6279E the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.