Cessna A185F accident near Bisbee, Arizona, April 16, 2009
On April 16, 2009 at about 4:10 pm local time, a Cessna A185F, registered N7802F, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Bisbee, Arizona (Private Ranch 47 airport). It was an instructional 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The flight instructor's inadequate supervision of the flight and inadequate recovery from a bounced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 16, 2009 · about 4:10 pm local time
- Place
- Bisbee, Arizona · Private Ranch 47 · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A185F · all A185Fs on the register
- Registration
- N7802F · registry record · serial 18502210
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the flight instructor, the commercial pilot receiving instruction was practicing takeoffs and landings on a 900-foot-by-20-foot dirt airstrip in the tailwheel-equipped airplane. Due to the topography, landings at the airstrip are made to the south and takeoffs are made to the north. During the flight, the wind picked up to about 4 to 5 knots from the northwest, resulting in a right quartering tailwind for landing. During what was planned to be the last landing at the airstrip, the commercial pilot did not arrest the descent quickly enough, and the airplane bounced on touchdown and drifted left. The flight instructor called for full power and took control of the airplane. He maneuvered the airplane back towards the center of the airstrip, reduced power, and landed with the left main gear 1 foot off the left side of the airstrip and the right main near the middle of the airstrip. He said that he applied the brakes heavily and the airplane began to slow; however, the right main skidded on some hard bedrock, and before the flight instructor could get off the brakes, the airplane nosed over. Both wings and the vertical stabilizer sustained structural damage. The flight instructor commented that the accident could have been prevented "if we had quit landing there when the winds picked up."
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
What happened, in order
- Abnormal runway contact during landing (flare/touchdown)
- Nose over/nose down during landing (landing roll) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › (general) › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Instructor/check pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring other person › Instructor/check pilot
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,571 hours in all; 307 in this make and model; 81 in the last 90 days; 24 in the last 30 days; 4,521 as pilot in command; 860 on instruments
- Last flight review: April 18, 2008
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,359 hours in all; 58 in this make and model; 56 in the last 90 days; 23 in the last 30 days; 1,319 as pilot in command; 561 on instruments
- Last flight review: July 7, 2008
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,627 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 20, 2009
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor IO 520 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: New Tribes Mission INC
The flight
- Departed from: 2AZ9 Mcneal AZ at 2:15 pm
- Destination: Priv Bisbee AZ
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 15, 900 ft by 20 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 16°F (-9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.03 inHg
- Observation at 3:56 pm from DUG, 15 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.
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.