Cessna A185F accident near Shearer, Idaho, May 30, 2007
On May 30, 2007 at about 11:30 pm local time, a Cessna A185F, registered N104DE, was substantially damaged in an accident near Shearer, Idaho (Private airport). It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A fracture and separation of the left main landing gear strut during the landing roll due to fatigue.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 30, 2007 · about 11:30 pm local time
- Place
- Shearer, Idaho · Private · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A185F · all A185Fs on the register
- Registration
- N104DE · registry record · serial 18504009
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The left main landing gear separated during the landing roll. Post accident metallurgical examination showed that the fracture occurred due to fatigue cracks that emanated from the chamfer areas at two bolt hole locations on the inboard side of the strut. The period of time that was required to cause propagation of the fatigue crack regions was not determined, but most of the brown region fractured in a single event. Because this was in existence for very few flight cycles, a visual inspection of the lower surfaces of the spring strut would have to have been conducted just before the accident flight in order to detect the crack, and even then, it would have been difficult to see. All of the small fatigue cracks at the origin areas were covered by the washers and would not have been visually detectable. Although the Safety Board issued previous recommendations about this issue, the Federal Aviation Administration reported that the visual inspections called out in the maintenance manuals are, "...adequate to detect cracks in the main landing gear struts and that additional airworthiness action is not warranted." On March 25, 2002, the NTSB responded by stating, in part: "The Safety Board continues to believe that a visual inspection alone will not detect cracks in the Cessna main landing gear spring struts. However, the Safety Board acknowledges that the statistical evidence does not warrant issuance of ADs at this time as called for in the Board's recommendation." The safety recommendation was then classified as: "Closed-Reconsidered."
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 instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 26,087 hours in all; 1,500 in this make and model; 41 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 25,864 as pilot in command; 1,912 on instruments
- Last flight review: April 1, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,013.7 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 1, 2007; 33.8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Teledyne Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MSO Missoula MT at 9:45 pm
- Destination: PVT North Star Rch ID
- Flight plan: VFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 0 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 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 SEA07LA140.