Cessna A185F accident near Boise, Idaho, July 16, 2004
On July 16, 2004 at about 9:03 pm local time, a Cessna A185F, registered N78RD, was substantially damaged in an accident near Boise, Idaho (Boise Air Terminal 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 pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll resulting in an inadvertent ground loop.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 16, 2004 · about 9:03 pm local time · cases in 2004
- Place
- Boise, Idaho · Boise Air Terminal · cases near this airport · 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
- N78RD · registry record · serial 18503676
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that she performed a wheel landing on runway 28L. As the tail settled, the airplane swerved slightly to the right, and she corrected with left rudder. However, the rudder was ineffective due to the slow speed of the airplane, and the airplane continued to swerve right. The pilot stated that at this point the left main tire peeled off the wheel rim, the wheel rim dug into the pavement, and the airplane spun around 180 degrees and came to a stop just off the right side of the runway. The pilot stated that there were no mechanical anomalies with the airplane prior to the accident. The Director of Maintenance of the facility contracted to repair the airplane provided to the NTSB IIC a list of damaged parts that indicated the fuselage sustained structural damage in the area of the left main landing gear attach point.
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: airline transport pilot, flight engineer, military
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 12,400 hours in all; 43 in this make and model; 214 in the last 90 days; 70 in the last 30 days; 6,000 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 31, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,500 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 10, 2004; 30 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MYL Mccall ID at 8:30 pm
- Destination: BOI Boise ID
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 28L, 9,763 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 97°F (36°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 pm from BOI
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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N78RD on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna A185 Skywagon 1,373 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,677 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental IO-520 9,482 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Boise Air Trml/Gowen Field · nearest airport
- MC Call Municipal · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Idaho 1,535 since 1982 · 287 in the last ten years
- Idaho 4,198 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/SEA04LA135.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.