Cessna A185F accident near Daggett, California, September 15, 1999
On September 15, 1999 at about 1:50 pm local time, a Cessna A185F, registered N9497N, was substantially damaged in an accident near Daggett, California (Barstow Daggett airport). It was a public-use 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 pilot's failure to recognize an excessive rate of descent and his subsequent delayed flare, which resulted in a hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 15, 1999 · about 1:50 pm local time
- Place
- Daggett, California · Barstow Daggett · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A185F · all A185Fs on the register
- Registration
- N9497N · no longer on the register · serial 18504366
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Public-use flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After takeoff the pilot climbed straight ahead to 200 feet agl with flaps set at 20 degrees. Reaching 200 feet, he retarded the throttle to produce a simulated engine failure. He then moved the yoke forward and established a downward descent angle. As the aircraft neared the runway, he recognized that a high sink rate was developing. Simultaneously, he flared and added full power in an effort to slow the descent. The airplane landed hard and collapsed the left main 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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,300 hours in all; 1,750 in this make and model; 45 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 2,200 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 14,637 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 13, 1999; 4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,362 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D56B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DAG at 1:59 pm
- Runway 26, 6,400 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:56 pm from DAG
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.
Other NTSB records under N9497N the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.