Cessna 185E accident near Boise, Idaho, August 14, 1983
On August 14, 1983, a Cessna 185E, registered N4772Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near Boise, Idaho (Boise Air Terminal airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 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 NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 14, 1983
- Place
- Boise, Idaho · Boise Air Terminal
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 185E · all 185Es on the register
- Registration
- N4772Q · registry record · serial 185-1239
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT LANDED IN A NEAR MAXIMUM VELOCITY CROSSWIND AND WHILE BRAKING TO CONTROL/CORRECT A SWERVE, THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR SEPARATED FROM THE ACFT. THE LANDING WAS ON RWY 28R AND THE WIND WAS FROM 200 DEGREES AT 10 TO 14 KTS ON FINAL AND 12 KTS WHEN THE PILOT WAS OVER THE THRESHOLD. THE ACFT TOUCHED DOWN ON THE LEFT WHEEL AND BOUNCED A LITTLE. ITTOUCHED DOWN AGAIN ON THE LEFT GEAR AND THE PILOT RAISED THE TAIL. THE RIGHT MAIN CAME DOWN WITH THE TAIL STILL IN THE AIR. AT ABOUT 4O MPH THE TAIL WAS LOWERED AND THE ACFT STARTED A LEFT TURN. THE PILOT CORRECTED WITH FULL RUDDER AND RIGHT BRAKING. THE PILOT DETECTED A SINKING ON THE RIGHT SIDE AND THEN THE RIGHT STRUT COLLAPSED. WHEN HE DEPLANED THE PILOT DISCOVERED THE RIGHT GEAR HAD SEPARATED. THE MAXIMUM DEMONSTRATED CROSSWIND VELOCITY FOR THIS AIRCRAFT (CESSNA 185) IS 15 KTS. METALLURGICAL TESTS WERE PERFORMED ON THE RIGHT WHEEL SPINDLE ATTACHING NUTS AND BOLTS WHICH SHOWED THAT THE REAR BOLTS FAILED AT THE INTERFACE OF SPINDLE AND STRUT DUE TO TENSILE OVERLOAD.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,164 hours in all; 55 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 987 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 3,300 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-R (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Salmon Air Taxi
The flight
- Departed from: MYL Mccall ID at 11:45 pm
- Destination: BOI Boise ID
- Runway 28R, 7,400 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 14,000 ft; scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.
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.