Cessna 185F accident near Visalia, California, July 22, 2001
On July 22, 2001 at about 1:30 am local time, a Cessna 185F, registered N1728R, was substantially damaged in an accident near Visalia, California (Private 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 failed to maintain clearance from crops which bordered the narrow runway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 22, 2001 · about 1:30 am local time
- Place
- Visalia, California · Private · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 185F · all 185Fs on the register
- Registration
- N1728R · registry record · serial 18502449
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot noticed the cylinder head temperature rising. He decided to make a precautionary landing at a friend's grass strip where he had landed before. During the landing roll on the 45-foot-wide runway, the left wing tip contacted 12-foot-high corn stalks. The airplane veered to the left, departed the runway, and overturned. The right main landing gear sheared off when the airplane hit a berm.
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
- Flight time: 8,782 hours in all; 437 in this make and model; 133 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days; 8,631 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 1, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,148 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 17, 2001; 67 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Teledyne Cont IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: VIS Visalia CA at 1:15 am
- Destination: 063 Exeter CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 1,300 ft by 45 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.85 inHg
- Observation at 1:35 am from VIS
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.
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 LAX01LA257.