Cessna 185F accident near Deer Park, Washington, January 14, 2004
On January 14, 2004 at about 6:30 pm local time, a Cessna 185F, registered N185WB, was substantially damaged in an accident near Deer Park, Washington (Deer Park Airport). It was an instructional 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 dual student pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll and the failure of the flight instructor to provide remedial action. A factor was snowbank.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 14, 2004 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Deer Park, Washington · Deer Park Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 185F · all 185Fs on the register
- Registration
- N185WB · registry record · serial 18504105
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The left seat dual student was receiving instruction from the right seat instructor pilot to refresh his tailwheel skills. After making a wheel landing in calm winds and the tail settling, the aircraft swerved to the left. The dual student made a correction to stabilize the aircraft, but it then began to swerve to the right, which the student could not correct with full left rudder. The airplane subsequently departed the right side of the runway, impacted an 18 inch snow berm, and nosed over coming to rest inverted. The student indicated the instructor pilot did not take any action to aid him in recovering from the loss of control. Prior to the flight the student mentioned to the instructor that he did not feel comfortable with the airplane. The student had received 3.7 hours of dual instruction in the airplane prior to the accident. .
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
Flight instructor
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 15,207 hours in all; 7,004 in this make and model; 24 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 14,358 as pilot in command; 10,797 on instruments
- Last flight review: April 13, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,145 hours in all; 4 in this make and model; 48 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 3,024 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 19, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,954 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 2, 2003; 51 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,362 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DEW Deer Park WA at 6:15 pm
- Destination: DEW Deer Park WA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 16, 6,100 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,790 ft
- Temperature: 34°F (1°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.20 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 pm from DEW
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.