Cessna 185 N185CA

Summary

On 4 July 1996 at about 22:05 local time, a Cessna 185 registered N185CA, operated by U.s. Fish and Wildlife Service, was involved in an accident near Fairbanks, Alaska, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

4 July 1996 at 22:05

Classification

Accident

Location

Fairbanks, Alaska, United States

Coordinates

64.8099, -147.7203

Aircraft

Cessna 185

Registration

N185CA

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

U.s. Fish and Wildlife Service

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Public Use

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC96TA095

1 person had minor injuries.

fatigue failure of the engine crankshaft. A factor related to the accident was: the lack of suitable terrain for a forced landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was in cruise flight over mountainous terrain in a float equipped airplane. The engine suddenly lost power, and the pilot performed an emergency landing on tundra covered terrain. During the landing, the airplane floats dug into the tundra, and the airplane turned completely over. A postaccident examination of the engine revealed a fatigue failure of the crankshaft.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.