Cessna A185F accident near Timbalier Isle, Louisiana, May 22, 1993
On May 22, 1993 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Cessna A185F, registered N3588, was substantially damaged in an accident near Timbalier Isle, Louisiana. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
PILOT'S INADEQUATE PREFLIGHT PLANNING AND PREPARATION IN THE SELECTION OF HIS TAKEOFF ROUTE. A FACTOR WAS THE SAND BAR
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 22, 1993 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Timbalier Isle, Louisiana
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A185F · all A185Fs on the register
- Registration
- N3588 · no longer on the register · serial 18502259
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING AN OPEN WATER DEPARTURE THE SEAPLANE WAS AT ROTATION SPEED WHEN IT STRUCK A SAND BAR. FOLLOWING THE SAND BAR STRIKE THE AIRPLANE NOSED OVER TO THE INVERTED POSITION. THE AIRPLANE HAD LANDED ONE HOUR EARLIER WHEN THE TIDE WAS IN AND WHEN THE TAKEOFF WAS ATTEMPTED THE TIDE HAD GONE OUT
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 land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 7,150 hours in all; 5,000 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,227 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 3, 1993; 88 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,320 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Southern Seaplane INC.
The flight
- Departed from: NONE at 8:05 pm
- Destination: 65LA Belle Chasse LA
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 135° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.