Cessna 185 accident near Buckeye, Arizona, August 14, 1997
On August 14, 1997 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Cessna 185, registered N1023F, was substantially damaged in an accident near Buckeye, Arizona (Pvt Dirt Airstrip 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 misjudgement of the clearance between the aircraft and the tree.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 14, 1997 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Buckeye, Arizona · Pvt Dirt Airstrip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 185 · all 185s on the register
- Registration
- N1023F · registry record · serial 18502691
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot intentionally touched down on the left side of the runway in order to miss a hole in the private dirt strip. During the landing roll, the left wing contacted a mesquite tree and the airplane spun around about 45 degrees to the left. The airplane began to slide sideways which damaged the right wing and broke the right landing gear.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 12,638 hours in all; 4,380 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 12,638 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,033 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 26, 1997; 51 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GYR Goodyear AZ at 9:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 2,600 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 106°F (41°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:45 pm from GYR, 15 miles away
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.