Cessna 185 N70018

Summary

On 28 July 1996 at about 22:30 local time, a Cessna 185 registered N70018 was involved in an accident near Talkeetna, Alaska, United States. 6 people were on board and 2 had minor injuries. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

28 July 1996 at 22:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Talkeetna, Alaska, United States

Coordinates

62.4490, -149.7905

Aircraft

Cessna 185

Registration

N70018

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter

Purpose of flight

Unknown

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → Talkeetna

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC96LA107

2 people had minor injuries.

The pilot's inadequate preflight planning for departure and his selection of unsuitable terrain. Factors in the accident were soft, snow covered terrain and the pilot's delay in aborting the takeoff.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The takeoff area was on a mountain glacier at 5,700 feet mean sea level, and was about 2,500 feet long and sloped downhill. The snow condition was wet and dense. The pilot reported that the engine was producing full power during the downslope takeoff. When the pilot began to lift off, the engine momentarily lost power and surged about 3 times from full power to almost no power. The pilot turned on the fuel boost pump, but full power was not restored. The airplane settled onto snow covered terrain and then collided with the edge of a crevasse. A national park ranger reported that the ski tracks produced by the accident airplane extended approximately 4,000 feet along the surface of the snow before leaving the surface at the edge of a crevasse. About 50 yards beyond the crevasse, additional ski tracks were noted skipping on the snow surface until the point of rest at the accident crevasse. An FAA inspector conducted an examination of the accident airplane's engine and fuel system. He reported that the engine ran normally with no observed discrepancies.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.