Cessna A185 accident near Rangeley Lake, Maine, August 22, 2019
On August 22, 2019 at about 7:39 pm local time, a 1977 Cessna A185, registered N1920Q, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Rangeley Lake, Maine (Rangeley Lake airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate preflight inspection of the floats, which led to his subsequent attempt to depart from a lake with damaged floats and led to a loss of roll control and the right wing impacting the water.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 22, 2019 · about 7:39 pm local time
- Place
- Rangeley Lake, Maine · Rangeley Lake · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A185 F, built 1977 · all A185s on the register
- Registration
- N1920Q · registry record · serial 18503502
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that, while departing from a lake, the float-equipped airplane was not "gaining airspeed as usual" and that the takeoff run was taking "longer." Before attempting to abort the takeoff, the left float lifted off the water, followed by the right float. While in ground effect, the floatplane started to roll right. The pilot corrected with full left aileron, but the floatplane continued to roll right. He then reduced power and applied 40º of flaps, but the floatplane continued to roll right, so he increased the throttle to full, and the right wing impacted the water. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing. The pilot reported that the floatplane impacted rocks while he was back taxiing to the dock after a previous flight but that he did not realize the floats had been damaged. Before the accident flight, he conducted a preflight inspection and did not find any residual water in the floats, but he did not examine the bottom of the floats because they were submerged in water. Photographs showed that the right float's keel was damaged.
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
What happened, in order
- Aerodynamic stall/spin during takeoff
- Loss of control in flight during takeoff defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during takeoff
The NTSB's findings
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Hidden/submerged object › Effect on equipment
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Lateral/bank control › Not attained/maintained
- factor Personnel issues › Task performance › Inspection › Preflight inspection › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 22,824 hours in all; 2,099 in this make and model; 16,659 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 17, 2019
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,582 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 13, 2019
- Maximum gross weight: 3,525 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO–520–D (piston); 2,657 hours total
- Operator: Acadian Aircraft Leasing Llc
The flight
- Departed from: M57 Rangeley ME at 7:19 pm
- Destination: BGR Bangor ME
- Runway 24W, 7,000 ft by 1,000 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 7,000 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 29.84 inHg
- Observation at 7:15 pm from K8B0, 2 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 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.
Other NTSB records under N1920Q the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number GAA19CA513.