Cessna 185 accident near Anza, California, June 8, 1982
On June 8, 1982 at about 11:30 pm local time, a Cessna 185, registered N2205T, was substantially damaged in an accident near Anza, California (Tweatty Air Strip airport). It was an instructional 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 NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 8, 1982 · about 11:30 pm local time · cases in 1982
- Place
- Anza, California · Tweatty Air Strip
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 185 · all 185s on the register
- Registration
- N2205T · registry record · serial 01357
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE STUDENT, A RATED PILOT, AND HIS INSTRUCTOR LANDED ON AN UNIMPROVED PRIVATE STRIP WHICH WAS AT AN ELEVATION OF ABOUT 4750 FT MSL. AFTER LANDING, THE PILOTS WALKED THROUGH THE AIRSTRIP AND DISCUSSED THE CONDITION OF THE STRIP. THERE WAS TALL GRASS ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE STRIP, 3 BUSHES ON THE LEFT SIDE, AND THERE WAS A DITCH ABOUT 800 FT FROM THE APPROACH END. ALSO, THERE WERE 4 DOGS AND 3 HORSES NEARBY. THEY DECIDED TO ANGLE SLIGHTLY ACROSS THE RUNWAY DURING TAKEOFF. INITIALLY, THEY WERE CONCERNED ABOUT THE LOCATION OF THE ANIMALS. AFTER STARTING THE TAKEOFF ROLL, THE STUDENT ANGLED FURTHER LEFT THAN THE INSTRUCTOR ANTICIPATED. THE LEFT WING STRUCK A BUSH AND THE PLANE VEERED TO THE LEFT. THE INSTRUCTOR WAS UNABLE TO REGAIN CONTROL BEFORE HITTING 2 MORE BUSHES.
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: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,380 hours in all; 3,500 in this make and model; 155 in the last 90 days; 57 in the last 30 days; 4,120 as pilot in command; 818 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,800 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 30 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Mission Aviation Fellowship
The flight
- Departed from: L12 Redlands CA at 2:00 pm
- Destination: L12 Redlands CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 1,200 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 158°F (70°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N2205T on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna 185 Skywagon 228 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,677 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental IO-520 9,482 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Accidents and incidents in California 9,080 since 1982 · 1,096 in the last ten years
- California 28,112 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/LAX82DA212.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.