Cessna 185A N186X

Summary

On 27 September 2025 at about 16:50 local time, a Cessna 185A registered N186X was involved in an accident near Ilwaco, Washington, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

27 September 2025 at 16:50

Classification

Accident

Location

Ilwaco, Washington, United States

Nearest airport

Port of Ilwaco (7W1)

Coordinates

46.3071, -123.9655

Aircraft

Cessna 185A

Registration

N186X

Category

Airplane

Year built

1962

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Camas → Ilwaco

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR25LA298

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's inadequate preflight inspection, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot of the tailwheel equipped airplane reported that about 2 miles east of the destination airport the engine began to run rough. He elected to make a precautionary landing to an open field, while on approach to land, the engine lost all power. During the landing roll the airplane impacted a ditch, which resulted in substantial damage to the left wing. Postaccident examination of the airplane by the pilot revealed that the fuel tanks contained no usable fuel. The pilot stated that during his preflight inspection, he did not visually verify the fuel levels in the fuel tanks and relied on the fuel analyzer. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.