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Accidents · NTSB MKC89LA139 · Final report

Cessna A185F accident near Int'L Falls, Minnesota, June 19, 1989

On June 19, 1989 at about 7:15 pm local time, a Cessna A185F, registered N7310H, was substantially damaged in an accident near Int'L Falls, Minnesota (Int'L Falls airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).

The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged

THE PILOT'S INABILITY TO MAINTAIN AIRCRAFT CONTROL AFTER ENCOUNTERING A STRONG GUST OF WIND DURING THE LANDING FLARE/TOUCHDOWN.

Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.

What the record shows

Date
June 19, 1989 · about 7:15 pm local time
Place
Int'L Falls, Minnesota · Int'L Falls · map
Type
Accident
Injuries
No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
Weather
visual conditions (good weather)
Aircraft
Cessna A185F · all A185Fs on the register
Registration
N7310H · no longer on the register · serial 185003356
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 WHILE LANDING HIS AMPHIBIOUS AIRCRAFT, DURING THE FLARE AND ROLL OUT, A STRONG GUST OF WIND CONTRIBUTED TO A LOSS OF CONTROL AND RESULTANT NOSE 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: commercial pilot
  • Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; rotorcraft: glider
  • Flight time: 3,310 hours in all; 1,505 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 3,260 as pilot in command
  • Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
  • Seat: unk

The aircraft

  • Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 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: Dryden Ont at 6:30 pm
  • Flight plan: VFR
  • Runway 13, 6,508 ft by 150 ft

Weather at the time

  • Light: daylight
  • Wind: from 140° at 9 knots
  • Visibility: 15 statute miles
  • Sky: scat at 6,500 ft
  • Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
  • Observation at 6:50 pm from INL, 1 miles away

Injuries

FatalSeriousMinorNone
Crew1
Passengers2

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.