Cessna A185F accident near Elizabethton, Tennessee, September 30, 1998
On September 30, 1998 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Cessna A185F, registered N1236F, was substantially damaged in an accident near Elizabethton, Tennessee (Elizabethton Municipal airport). It was an instructional 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 failure of the pilot to maintain directional control during the landing roll.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 12, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 30, 1998 · about 5:00 pm local time · cases in 1998
- Place
- Elizabethton, Tennessee · Elizabethton Municipal · cases near this airport · 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
- N1236F · registry record · serial 185-02796
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot performed a go-around from the first wheel landing after the airplane bounced. He then reentered the traffic pattern to land on runway 24. The wind was from 280 degrees at 5 knots. The airplane was landed in a three-point attitude and began to veer to the right. He applied full left rudder and power but the left wing of the airplane contacted the runway. The pilot reduced power but the airplane departed the right side of the runway and nosed over coming to rest inverted on grass. He further stated that there was no flight control or engine failure or malfunction.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 208 hours in all; 28 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 27 in the last 30 days; 104 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,644 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 12, 1998; 65 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: 0A9 at 4:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 24, 4,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:00 pm from 0A9
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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N1236F on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna A185 Skywagon 1,372 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,684 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D 95 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- William B Greene JR Regional · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Tennessee 1,196 since 1982 · 229 in the last ten years
- Tennessee 6,522 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/MIA98LA255.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.