Cessna A185F accident near Valley Springs, California, February 10, 1994
On February 10, 1994, a Cessna A185F, registered N4833C, was substantially damaged in an accident near Valley Springs, California (Lake Hogan Seaplane Base 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's failure to ensure that the landing gear was in the correct configuration for a water landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 10, 1994
- Place
- Valley Springs, California · Lake Hogan Seaplane Base · 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
- N4833C · registry record · serial 185-02601
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said that he had just recently purchased the aircraft and had completed 5 hours of instruction in it just before the accident flight. The pilot reported that before he left for home he wanted to make one more water landing and flew to the New Hogan Lake Reservoir. The pilot said he forgot to raise the wheels when he departed the San Andreas land airport, and on touchdown in the lake, the aircraft nosed over.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,055 hours in all; 92 in this make and model; 123 in the last 90 days; 35 in the last 30 days; 3,751 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,146 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 1, 1993; 67 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,265 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-550-D2B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 0O3 San Andreas CA
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°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.
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.