Cessna A185F accident near 4Nm W Of Boring, Oregon, November 8, 1983
On November 8, 1983 at about 10:31 pm local time, a Cessna A185F, registered N53079, was destroyed in an accident near 4Nm W Of Boring, Oregon. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person had minor injuries. 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
- November 8, 1983 · about 10:31 pm local time
- Place
- 4Nm W Of Boring, Oregon · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A185F · all A185Fs on the register
- Registration
- N53079 · no longer on the register · serial 18502363
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH 3 MAJOR OBJECTS, A TREE, A HOUSE AND A MOTOR HOME DURING AN ATTEMPTED GO-AROUND. THE PILOT HAD ATTEMPTED A LANDING ON A SOFT SHORT DIRT ROAD NEAR HIS HOME. THE LENGTH OF THE ROAD WAS 462 FT. HE LANDED 74 FT SHORT OFMARKERS AT THE PLANNED TOUCHDOWN POINT. THE PASSENGER SAID IT WAS QUICKLY APPARENT THAT THEY COULD NOT STOP IN TIME. THEPILOT RETRACTED THE FLAPS TO 20 DEGREES AND APPLIED FULL POWER. THE ACFT LEFT THE GROUND 71 FT BEFORE THE END OF THE ROAD. THE TREE WAS ABOUT 125 FT AWAY AND WAS 16 FT TALL. THE ACFT HIT AT ABOUT 8 FT AGL. IT THEN HIT THE HOUSE ABOUT 25 FT AWAY AND PART OF THE ACFT STAYED THERE (THE TAIL SECTION AND PART OF THE FUSELAGE). THE FORWARD CABIN/COCKPIT AREA AND WINGS HIT THE MOTOR HOME AND CONTINUED ON IN THE YARD ABOUT ANOTHER 125 FT. THE TWO OCCUPANTS AND THEIR SEATS WERE THROWN OUT OF THE COCKPIT AND CAME TO REST NEAR THE FORWARD PORTION OF THE ACFT. THE PILOT DIED OF HIS INJURIES. THE PASSENGER RECEIVED ONLY MINOR INJURIES.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,198 hours in all; 161 in this make and model; 2,651 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,431 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 60S Vancouver WA at 10:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 25,000 ft; scat at 15,000 ft
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:46 pm from PDX, 11 miles away
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.
Other NTSB records under N53079 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.