Cessna A185F accident near Waitsfield, Vermont, March 2, 1984
On March 2, 1984 at about 4:55 pm local time, a Cessna A185F, registered N4643C, was destroyed in an accident near Waitsfield, Vermont (Phillips Private airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. 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
- March 2, 1984 · about 4:55 pm local time
- Place
- Waitsfield, Vermont · Phillips Private
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A185F · all A185Fs on the register
- Registration
- N4643C · no longer on the register · serial 02584
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH TREES DURING TAKEOFF. THE RWY WAS SNOW COVERED 4 TO 6 INCHES DEEP AND WAS ONLY 1800 FT LONG. THE TAKEOFF WAS ON A BEARING OF 130 DEGREES. THE WIND WAS FROM 280 DEGREES AT 14 KTS. THE SKIS ON THE ACFT HAD WHEELS PROTRUDING THROUGH AT THE MAXIMUM SETTING. DURING TAXI CONSIDERABLE POWER WAS NEEDED BECAUSE OF DRAG AND SNOW DENSITY. DURING TAKEOFF THE ACFT WAS AIRBORNE 3 TIMES. THE FLT WAS UNABLE TO CLEAR THE TREES SO THE PLT STALLED THE ACFT INTO THETHINNEST TREE AREA. THE PLT SAID THERE WERE NO PRE-IMPACT MALFUNCTIONS OF THE ACFT.
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 multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,835 hours in all; 24 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 2,600 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,521 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 29, 1983; 36 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: OB6 Chatham MA
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 13, 1,800 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Wind: from 280° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 12°F (-11°C), dew point 1°F (-17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:50 pm from MPV, 12 miles away
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.