Cessna 185 N1694M
1 June 2015 · Talkeetna, Alaska, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 1 June 2015 at about 01:20 local time, a Cessna 185 registered N1694M, operated by Talkeetna Air Taxi Inc, was involved in an accident near Talkeetna, Alaska, United States. 6 people were on board and one was seriously injured, one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 01:20
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Talkeetna, Alaska, United States
- Nearest airport
- Talkeetna (TKA)
- Coordinates
- 62.3247, -150.0892
- Aircraft
- Cessna 185
- Registration
- N1694M
- Category
- Airplane
- Year built
- 1971
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Talkeetna Air Taxi Inc
- Operating rule
- Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Talkeetna → Talkeetna
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- ANC15LA033
People
1 person was seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to maintain an adequate visual lookout, which resulted in a midair collision. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's failure to follow Federal Aviation Administration-recommended traffic pattern procedures.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
A Cessna 185 airplane was operating as a commercial air tour flight with five passengers on board in day, visual meteorological conditions. A student pilot was operating a Cessna 172 as a solo cross-country flight; both aircraft were landing on the same runway. The Cessna 185 entered the traffic pattern on an extended right base about 2.5 miles from the end of the runway, and the pilot was following procedures established by local commercial air tour operators, which did not include information about reporting points or describe nonstandard traffic pattern entry procedures; this information is contained in Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) publications. The other airplane was also in the right traffic pattern for the same runway, and the student pilot was following the prescribed, FAA-recommended right traffic pattern procedures. A review of recorded radio communications from the common traffic advisory frequency revealed that the student pilot made position reports 10 miles from the airport, 5 miles from the airport, directly over midfield, on the right downwind leg, and when turning from the base to final leg. The commercial pilot made two position reports: one at a visual flight rules reporting point and a second one during which he stated that he was No. 2 on the base leg for the runway even though he was actually No. 3. The student pilot turned his airplane onto the final approach leg behind the airplane that was No. 2 on the base leg for the runway. While on short final, the Cessna 185 impacted the Cessna 172 from behind, above, and slightly to the right, which resulted in the Cessna 185 straddling the Cessna 172. The two airplanes remained conjoined until ground impact. The commercial pilot reported that he never saw the other airplane. If the commercial pilot had followed the FAA-recommended traffic pattern procedures, he might have been able to see the Cessna 172 and avoid hitting it.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Aircraft involved
| Aircraft | Registration | Operator | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cessna 185 | N1694M | Talkeetna Air Taxi Inc | Substantial |
| Cessna 172 | N8525U | - | Substantial |
Other Cessna 185 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 Feb 2015 | Cessna 185-E | Carson City, Nevada, United States | Andrew T Hoffman | No injuries | - |
| 23 Apr 2015 | Cessna 185 | Nome, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 7 Sep 2014 | Cessna 185 | Gakona, Alaska, United States | Copper Valley Air Service LLC | No injuries | - |
| 9 Mar 2014 | Cessna 185 | Eden Prairie, Minnesota, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 22 Sep 2016 | Cessna 185 | Fairbanks, Alaska, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 5 Mar 2013 | Cessna 185B | Flat, Alaska, United States | Moroney Bruce J | No injuries | - |
All 1,004 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 Jun 2015 | De Havilland DHC-3T | Skwentna, Alaska, United States | Alaska Air Taxi LLC | No injuries | - |
| 31 Jan 2015 | Piper PA 18 | Wasilla, Alaska, United States | STATE OF ALASKA / Alaska State Troopers | Serious injuries | - |
| 14 Apr 2015 | Cessna 180 | Whittier, Alaska, United States | Dale A. Carlson | Fatal | 1 |
| 21 Dec 2015 | Piper PA 18A | Girdwood, Alaska, United States | Okonek Kellie L | No injuries | - |
| 1 Feb 2015 | Piper PA 12 | Palmer, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 6 Jun 2015 | Maule M 7-235B | Talkeetna, Alaska, United States | Kaylor Ronald N | No injuries | - |