Cessna A185E accident near Cody, Wyoming, August 15, 1996
On August 15, 1996 at about 8:30 pm local time, a Cessna A185E, registered N185K, was substantially damaged in an accident near Cody, Wyoming (Switchback Ranch 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
failure of the pilot to maintain directional control of the airplane and runway alignment during the takeoff roll. Factors relating to the accident were: the crosswind, and possible dragging of the right brake.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 15, 1996 · about 8:30 pm local time · cases in 1996
- Place
- Cody, Wyoming · Switchback Ranch · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A185E · all A185Es on the register
- Registration
- N185K · registry record · serial 18501887
- 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 pilot landed to the west at a private airstrip, using moderate braking to stop on a steep downhill portion of the runway. He backtaxied and loaded his passengers and baggage, then backtaxied further for takeoff. The pilot stated that during the takeoff roll to the west, he was unable to maintain directional control with left rudder and brake, and the main wheels drifted off the right edge of the runway. The pilot aborted the takeoff, but was unable to stop before the aircraft tipped to the left and damaged the left wingtip and horizontal stabilizer. The pilot noted that the wind had been from the west at 5 gusting 10 knots, but had shifted to the northeast. Also, he noted that the right main wheel had been dragging more than the left wheel as the aircraft drifted off the hard-packed runway onto the softer shoulders. Additionally, the pilot noted that when operating at high temperatures and in high density altitudes, more time should be allowed for brakes to cool, if used heavily just before takeoff.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,775 hours in all; 65 in this make and model; 154 in the last 90 days; 60 in the last 30 days; 4,530 as pilot in command; 2,090 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,410 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 28, 1995; 82 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Spirit Mountain Aviation Lc
The flight
- Destination: COD WY
- Runway 27, 3,000 ft by 30 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 5 knots, gusting 10
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 39°F (4°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.
Other NTSB records under N185K the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N185K on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna A185 Skywagon 1,373 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,677 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D 95 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Yellowstone Regional · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in Wyoming 778 since 1982 · 108 in the last ten years
- Wyoming 3,236 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N185K 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/SEA96LA193.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.