Cessna A185E accident near Lewiston, Idaho, January 30, 2006
On January 30, 2006 at about 7:30 pm local time, a Cessna A185E, registered N2303Y, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lewiston, Idaho (Private Airstrip airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the left main landing gear attaching bolt, which resulted in the left main gear collapsing during the landing roll.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 30, 2006 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- Lewiston, Idaho · Private Airstrip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A185E · all A185Es on the register
- Registration
- N2303Y · registry record · serial 185-01868
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot, upon touchdown, the left landing gear leg "started to fail" as the airplane's weight came onto the wheels. The left gear folded outward, and the airplane veered to the left. The airplane's left wing tip contacted an embankment, and the airplane came to a stop. Examination of the airplane by an FAA inspector revealed that there was structural damage to the left gear box, left wing strut, left wing tip, left aileron, the rear spar of the left wing, and the propeller. The inspector found that the 7/16-inch AN bolt that held the left gear leg to the fuselage failed in shear loading. Failure of the bolt allowed the gear to pivot on the landing gear box leading to failure of the lower landing gear box web.
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: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,264 hours in all; 2,984 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LWS Lewiston ID at 7:00 pm
- Destination: Lewiston ID
- Flight plan: none
- Runway UNK
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
Other NTSB records under N2303Y 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.