Cessna A185F accident near Ash Fork, Arizona, June 16, 2001
On June 16, 2001 at about 3:45 pm local time, a Cessna A185F, registered N4805, was substantially damaged in an accident near Ash Fork, Arizona (Not Listed airport). It was a personal 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's misjudged touchdown location on a short runway. Contributing factors were the presence of a tailwind and the proximity of trees.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 16, 2001 · about 3:45 pm local time
- Place
- Ash Fork, Arizona · Not Listed · map
- Type
- Accident
- 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
- N4805 · no longer on the register · serial 18504432
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot observed that the wind was light and variable as he approached his privately owned 1,185-foot-long airstrip. He pilot landed the airplane slightly long and bounced. A slight tailwind was encountered, and the pilot initiated a go-around. However, the remaining runway was insufficient, so he aborted his effort. The airplane overran the runway's end and impacted nearby trees.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 750 hours in all; 195 in this make and model; 69 in the last 90 days; 18 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: November 3, 1999
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,040 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 15, 2001; 4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,500 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-550 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: WHP Los Angeles CA at 2:30 pm
- Destination: NONE Ask Fork
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 040, 1,185 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.25 inHg
- Observation at 3:53 pm from KPRC, 35 miles away
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.
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.