Cessna A185F accident near Marion, Ohio, August 23, 2003
On August 23, 2003 at about 4:30 pm local time, a Cessna A185F, registered N44222, was substantially damaged in an accident near Marion, Ohio (Marion Municipal Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Fatigue and corrosion of the right main landing gear attachment, which resulted in a gear collapse while landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 23, 2003 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Marion, Ohio · Marion Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A185F · all A185Fs on the register
- Registration
- N44222 · no longer on the register · serial 18503951
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Shortly after touchdown, the airplane began to swerve left, and the pilot heard a scraping sound. The right main landing gear collapsed, the right wing contacted the runway, and the airplane came to rest on the runway. Examination of lower outboard portion of the right main landing gear leg revealed that the fracture occurred through the upper bolt hole attachment. The forward portion of the bolt hole exhibited three fatigue regions originating from corrosion pits. The aft portion of the bolt hole exhibited one fatigue region originating from a corrosion pit. The airplane had accumulated approximately 8,000 total hours of operation. Prior to the pilot's purchase of the airplane, it was operated as a bush plane in Guatemala.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 766 hours in all; 136 in this make and model; 23 in the last 90 days; 14 in the last 30 days; 655 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: September 1, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,020 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 14, 2003; 56 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TOL Toledo OH at 4:00 pm
- Destination: MNN Marion OH
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 7, 5,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,300 ft
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.17 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from MNN
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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 N44222 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.