Cessna 185 accident near Skwentna, Alaska, June 30, 2002
On June 30, 2002 at about 5:30 pm local time, a Cessna 185, registered N1078F, was substantially damaged in an accident near Skwentna, Alaska (Talaheim Lodge airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to attain the proper touchdown point resulting in an undershoot, and an in-flight collision with a log during the landing flare. A contributing factor in the accident was a hidden obstruction.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 30, 2002 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- Skwentna, Alaska · Talaheim Lodge · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 185 · all 185s on the register
- Registration
- N1078F · registry record · serial 18502734
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial certificated pilot was landing the tundra tire-equipped airplane at an airstrip next to a remote lodge. The dirt surface airstrip is oriented north/south, and is about 1,200 feet long by 20 feet wide. The pilot said he was landing toward the north, and touched down about two feet short of the airstrip threshold. The right main landing gear struck a log stump that was concealed by bushes, just short of the threshold. The right main gear was torn off the airplane, and the right wing struck the ground.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,321 hours in all; 856 in this make and model; 29 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days; 3,230 as pilot in command; 91 on instruments
- Last flight review: May 8, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,846 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 26, 2002; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Z41 Anchorage AK at 12:00 pm
- Destination: Skwentna AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 1,200 ft by 20 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.