Cessna A185F accident near Chester, California, August 14, 1986
On August 14, 1986 at about 11:30 pm local time, a Cessna A185F, registered N7373H, was substantially damaged in an accident near Chester, California (Chester airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 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
- August 14, 1986 · about 11:30 pm local time · cases in 1986
- Place
- Chester, California · Chester · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A185F · all A185Fs on the register
- Registration
- N7373H · no longer on the register · serial 18503379
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER SERVICING THE AIRCRAFT'S FUEL TANKS TO THEIR 80 GALLON CAPACITY THE PILOT, HIS INSTRUCTOR PILOT, AND THEIR PASSENGER BACK TAXIED APPROXIMATELY 1,300 FEET FROM THE DEPARTURE END OF THE RWY AND STARTED THEIR TAKEOFF. WHEN THE AIRCRAFT FAILED TO CLIMB AFTER ROTATION THE INSTRUCTOR PILOT ABORTED THE TAKEOFF. THE AIRCRAFT RAN OFF THE END OF THE RUNWAY, IMPACTED A FENCE, AND NOSED OVER ON ITS BACK.
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: 260 hours in all
- Medical certificate: None (expired)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 179 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 31, 1986
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 005 Chester CA at 11:30 pm
- Destination: EAT Wenatchee WA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 33, 5,380 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 93°F (34°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:38 pm from SVE, 32 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| 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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N7373H: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Cessna A185 Skywagon 1,372 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,685 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D 95 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Rogers Field · nearest airport
- Pangborn Memorial · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in California 9,080 since 1982 · 1,097 in the last ten years
- California 27,761 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/LAX86LA321.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.