Cessna A185F accident near Bernie, Missouri, May 20, 1986
On May 20, 1986 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Cessna A185F, registered N1096F, was destroyed in an accident near Bernie, Missouri (AG Strip airport). It was a personal 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 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 October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 20, 1986 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Bernie, Missouri · AG Strip · 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
- N1096F · registry record · serial 185 02751
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT STATED THAT THEY WERE ON THE TAKEOFF ROLL WHEN HIS SEAT FAILED AND HE FELL BACKWARD AWAY FROM THE FLIGHT CONTROLS AND THE THROTTLE. THE AIRPLANE VEERED LEFT, OFF THE RUNWAY, CROSSED A SMALL DITCH, A ROAD AND THEN IMPACTED IN A VERY LARGE DRAINAGE DITCH. THE AIRPLANE STARTED BURNING AS THE PILOT AND HIS PASSENGER DEPARTED THE AIRPLANE AND WAS DEMOLISHED BY IMPACT AND POST-IMPACT FIRE. DUE TO THE FIRE DAMAGE OF THE SEAT, THE SEAT ADJUSTMENT AND THE SEAT RETENTION SYSTEM, THE POINT OF FAILURE CANNOT BE DETERMINED.
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: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 7,000 hours in all; 400 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 7,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 895 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 1, 1986
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520D (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Destination: Caruthersville MO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
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.