Cessna A185E accident near Price, Utah, November 3, 1996
On November 3, 1996 at about 10:40 pm local time, a Cessna A185E, registered N19EC, was substantially damaged in an accident near Price, Utah (Carbon County airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 3, 1996 · about 10:40 pm local time
- Place
- Price, Utah · Carbon County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A185E · all A185Es on the register
- Registration
- N19EC · registry record · serial 185-1306
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot executed a landing to runway 18 (8,300 feet length) during which the tailwheel touched down followed by the main landing gear, and the aircraft bounced slightly. The aircraft began to track to the left and the pilot corrected. The aircraft returned to and crossed over the centerline during which the pilot was unable to stop the right veer before the aircraft departed the right side of the runway. As the aircraft left the runway the left main landing gear separated. A single tire smear mark was observed on the runway beginning at the centerline, arcing right and then oscillating briefly before exiting the runway's edge. A blue smear mark consistent with the aircraft's blue left wingtip paint near the runway's edge was noted. Winds were out of the southwest at 4 knots 2 minutes after the accident. Metallurgical examination of the left main landing gear bolt revealed smearing of the bolt threads.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 480 hours in all; 9 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,918 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 10, 1996; 14 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,320 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BDG Blanding UT at 9:00 pm
- Destination: PUC
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 18, 8,300 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 4 knots
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Observation at 10:48 pm from PUC
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 N19EC 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 SEA97LA024.