Cessna 185F accident near Venice, Louisiana, August 12, 1998
On August 12, 1998 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Cessna 185F, registered N4810, was substantially damaged in an accident near Venice, 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 pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane during high speed step-taxi. A factor was the swell left by the boat.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 12, 1998 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Venice, Louisiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 185F · all 185Fs on the register
- Registration
- N4810 · registry record · serial 18504438
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot lost control of the amphibian airplane during a 'high speed step-taxi' after landing. The pilot noticed a swell left by a boat that had departed the landing area and elected to approach the swell at a 45 degree angle. As the airplane crossed the swell, the pilot felt the right float 'dig in.' In an effort to prevent the floats from sinking further, the pilot pulled full aft on the yoke and applied full power. The airplane nosed over inverted and began to sink.
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; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 16,076 hours in all; 9,085 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days; 15,518 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,206 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 17, 1998; 37 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-550-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 3LA2 Lacombe LA at 5:30 pm
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 225° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 12,000 ft; scat
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°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.