Cessna 185F accident near Glendale, Arizona, November 18, 1984
On November 18, 1984 at about 5:02 pm local time, a Cessna 185F, registered N4845E, was substantially damaged in an accident near Glendale, Arizona (Glendale Muni airport). It was a personal 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 October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 18, 1984 · about 5:02 pm local time
- Place
- Glendale, Arizona · Glendale Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 185F · all 185Fs on the register
- Registration
- N4845E · registry record · serial 18503887
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WENT TO THE LEFT OF THE DESIRED TRACK FOR TAKEOFF AND THE PLT SAID THAT IN THE ATTEMPT TO REGAIN DIRECTIONAL CONTROL BY MEANS OF THROTTLE MANIPULATION AND BRAKE APPLICATION (THE PLT IN LATER INSPECTION OF RWY AND BRAKES REPORTED RUBBER MARKS ON THE RWY SURFACE AND 'THE LEFT BRAKE WAS BLUE' PITCH CONTROL WAS LOST. THE ACFTS TAIL CONTINUED TO RISE UNTIL THE ACFT NOSED OVER ON THE RWY. THE PLT REPORTED IN THE 6120.1 REPORT THAT THE ACCIDENT WAS NOT RELATED TO A MECH FAILURE/MALFUNCTION. THE PLTS REPORTED TOTAL TIME IN THIS TYPE OF ACFT IS 33 HRS OF WHICH 2 WERE FLOWN IN THE LAST 30 DAYS. THE PLT ALSO REPORTED A SLIGHT X-WIND FROM THE LEFT AND A 'P' FACTOR INCREASE AS THE TAIL OF THE ACFT BEGAN TO RISE DURING TAKEOFF ACCELERATION.
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, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,950 hours in all; 33 in this make and model; 84 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 3,660 as pilot in command; 1,300 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 285 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 15, 1983; 51 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: P37 Glendale AZ at 4:35 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 2,400 ft by 50 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
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.