Cessna 185 accident near Kaktovik, Alaska, June 8, 2002
On June 8, 2002, a Cessna 185, registered N749, was substantially damaged in an accident near Kaktovik, Alaska. It was a public-use flight under public-use (government) rules. No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate evaluation of the weather conditions during landing at a remote lake, resulting in a downwind landing. Factors contributing to the accident were the presence of a tailwind, and an icy lake surface.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 8, 2002
- Place
- Kaktovik, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 185 · all 185s on the register
- Registration
- N749 · registry record · serial 18504354
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Public-use flight · public-use (government) rules
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial certificated pilot was landing a wheel/ski-equipped airplane on a remote ice-covered lake. He was concluding a public use caribou tracking flight. The pilot estimated there was about 1,500 feet of usable landing area. The pilot landed toward the west with the skis extended, but began sliding on the icy surface toward an area of open water along the shore of the lake. The pilot initiated a left turn and applied engine power. The airplane's right wing and right elevator struck the ice. The airplane received damage to the right wingtip, right aileron, and the right elevator. After landing, the pilot discovered the wind was from the east about 7 knots.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 7,300 hours in all; 4,000 in this make and model; 43 in the last 90 days; 40 in the last 30 days; 7,200 as pilot in command; 2 on instruments
- Last flight review: April 10, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,680 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 8, 2002; 81 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PABA Kaktovik AK at 7:00 pm
- Destination: Canning River AK
- Flight plan: VFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.20 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
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.