Cessna 402 accident near Pocatello, Idaho, May 16, 1985
On May 16, 1985, a Cessna 402, registered N402CS, was destroyed in an accident near Pocatello, Idaho. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person was killed. 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
- May 16, 1985
- Place
- Pocatello, Idaho · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 402 · all 402s on the register
- Registration
- N402CS · registry record · serial 402-0108
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
SHORTLY AFTER DEPARTURE & LEVEL OFF, THE PLT REPORTED AN ENG MALFUNCTION & INITIATED A RETURN TO THE ARPT. ABOUT 2 MIN LATER, HE REPORTED AN ENG FIRE & DECLARED AN EMERGENCY. APRX 1 MIN THEREAFTER, THE RGT WING SEPARATED FROM THE ACFT & THE PLANE CRASHED. AN EXAM OF THE WRECKAGE REVEALED EXTENSIVE INFLT FIRE DAMAGE IN THE AREA OF SEPARATION. A 2.5 BY 3 INCH HOLE WAS FOUND IN THE RGT INBOARD EXHAUST TUBE, PN 0850712-6. IT WAS ORIENTED TOWARD THE ACCESSORY COMPARTMENT WITHNUMEROUS FUEL & OIL LINES WHICH WERE FIRE DAMAGED & CHARRED. ALSO, MUCH OF THE ENG SUPPORT STRUCTURE & WING SPAR WERE MELTED IN THAT AREA. AN EXAM OF THE EXHAUST TUBE REVEALED ITS WALLS WERE THIN, BRITTLE & DISCOLORED IN THE AREA OF THE RUPTURE & SEVERAL AREAS OF CRACKS & SMALL HOLES WERE FOUND. THE EXHAUST TUBE HAD 5862 HRS OF TOTAL SERVICE & 1762 HOURS SINCE IT WAS OVERHAULED. RECORDS SHOWED THAT AD 75-23-08 HAD BEEN COMPLIED WITH DURING THE LAST INSPECTION, 25 FLT HRS PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT.
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, military
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,500 hours in all; 350 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,862 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, February 11, 1985; 12 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,300 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-E (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Regional Express Company
The flight
- Departed from: PIH Pocatello ID
- Destination: SLC Salt Lake City UT
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
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.