Cessna 185FII accident near Reno, Nevada, August 4, 1986
On August 4, 1986, a Cessna 185FII, registered N185M, was destroyed in an accident near Reno, Nevada (Reno-Stead airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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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 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 4, 1986
- Place
- Reno, Nevada · Reno-Stead · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 185FII · all 185FIIs on the register
- Registration
- N185M · registry record · serial 18503594
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PLT ATTEMPTED TAKEOFF WITH ACFT 540 POUNDS OVER MAX CERT WT AND 8500 FT DENSITY ALTITUDE CONDITIONS. ACFT BECAME AIRBORNE BUT POSITIVE CLIMB AND AIRSPEED INCREASE NOT POSSIBLE. PLT TURNED TO AVOID OBSTRUCTIONS, PUTTING ACFT INTO SEMI-CONTROLLED COLLISION WITH TERRAIN.
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; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,250 hours in all; 132 in this make and model; 175 in the last 90 days; 1,706 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,748 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 21, 1985; 126 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,320 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO 520-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: WJF Lancaster CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 26
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 14 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 93°F (34°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:51 pm from RNO, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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 N185M the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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 SEA86LA192.