Cessna A185F N4585F

Summary

On 25 June 2016 at about 19:00 local time, a Cessna A185F registered N4585F was involved in an accident near Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

25 June 2016 at 19:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, United States

Coordinates

47.8336, -116.4836

Aircraft

Cessna A185F

Registration

N4585F

Category

Airplane

Year built

1966

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Spokane → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR16FA131

1 person died.

The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from trees while maneuvering at low altitude in mountainous terrain.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot was on a local personal flight in the airplane. According to witnesses, the pilot appeared to fly a series of practice approaches at a remote private airstrip and then flew northeast up a nearby canyon towards rising mountainous terrain. The airplane impacted trees on the canyon hillside about 1 mile from the airstrip on a southwest heading, indicating that the pilot had reversed course. It is likely that the pilot realized that the canyon narrowed ahead and that he was surrounded by rising terrain. He likely attempted to turn the airplane around, and while maneuvering in the turn, he was unable to maintain clearance with the trees on the canyon hillside. No significant weather or turbulence was reported or forecast in the area, however wind at the time of the accident may have created some light turbulence, though it is unlikely to have affected the flight. Postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of pre-impact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. The engine was subsequently test run in a test cell at various power settings with no anomalies noted.  It is unlikely that the pilot's elevated blood pressure, insomnia, or medications used to treat these conditions impaired him or contributed to the accident. Additionally, it is unlikely that the pilot's antidepressant medications contributed to the accident. The pilot had used the potentially-impairing medication tramadol before the accident. However, because of variations in patient tolerance to opioid medications and possible postmortem changes in drug concentrations, the investigation was unable to determine if the pilot was impaired by tramadol at the time of the crash.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.