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Accidents · NTSB SEA92LA032 · Final report

Cessna 185 accident near Stanley, Idaho, December 27, 1991

On December 27, 1991 at about 10:15 pm local time, a Cessna 185, registered N113LC, was substantially damaged in an accident near Stanley, Idaho (Stanley airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).

The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged

THE PILOT-IN-COMMAND'S SELECTION OF UNSUITABLE TERRAIN (SNOW COVERED RUNWAY) FOR LANDING RESULTING IN A NOSE OVER ON LANDING ROLLOUT.

Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.

What the record shows

Date
December 27, 1991 · about 10:15 pm local time · cases in 1991
Place
Stanley, Idaho · Stanley · cases near this airport · map
Type
Accident
Injuries
No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
Weather
visual conditions (good weather)
Aircraft
Cessna 185 · all 185s on the register
Registration
N113LC · registry record · serial 185-1459
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

THE PILOT OF THE CESSNA 185 MADE A COUPLE OF LOW PASSES OVER THE SNOW COVERED RUNWAY, AND THEN DECIDED TO LAND. WHEN HE TOUCHED DOWN IN THE SNOW, WHICH WAS DEEPER THAN HE HAD ESTIMATED, THE AIRCRAFT DECELERATED RAPIDLY, AND NOSED OVER.

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: single-engine land; single-engine sea
  • Flight time: 968 hours in all; 184 in this make and model; 2 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days
  • Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
  • Seat: unk

The aircraft

  • Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
  • Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
  • Seats: 4
  • Landing gear: fixed
  • Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total

The flight

  • Departed from: 64U Hubler ID at 9:00 pm
  • Flight plan: none
  • Runway 0, 4,350 ft by 150 ft

Weather at the time

  • Light: daylight
  • Visibility: 50 statute miles
  • Sky: clear
  • Temperature: 10°F (-12°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)

Injuries

FatalSeriousMinorNone
Crew1

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.

Connections how this case links to the rest of the register

Aircraft
Place
Analytics

The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/SEA92LA032.json.

The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.

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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.