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).
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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 October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 16, 2004 · about 9:03 pm local time
- Place
- Boise, Idaho · Boise Air Terminal · 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number SEA04LA135.