Cessna A185F accident near Gridley, California, July 24, 2004
On July 24, 2004 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Cessna A185F, registered N93DM, was destroyed in an accident near Gridley, California. It was a business 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 improper use of the rudder to correct for torque and P-factor effects and failure to maintain obstacle clearance.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 24, 2004 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Gridley, California · 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
- N93DM · no longer on the register · serial 18503667
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane veered left until impacting nearby trees seconds after taking off from an airstrip. The pilot had previously departed from the 1,800-foot-long private airstrip, but this was his first departure from the airstrip in the Cessna A185F, which has a 300-horsepower engine. No anomalies were detected with the airplane during the pilot's preflight inspection. The pilot indicated that during the initial climb in the calm wind, he had inadequately applied corrective rudder to compensate for the airplane's left turning tendency (also known as torque/P-factor).
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 808 hours in all; 139 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 14 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-DB4 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Mariani Nut Company, Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: Gridley CA
- Destination: 2Q3 Yolo CA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
Other NTSB records under N93DM the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.