Cessna 185 accident near Talkeetna, Alaska, May 28, 2003
On May 28, 2003 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Cessna 185, registered N70176, was destroyed in an accident near Talkeetna, Alaska. It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 4 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed which resulted in an inadvertent stall, an uncontrolled descent and in-flight collision with terrain. A factor associated with the accident was rising terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 28, 2003 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Talkeetna, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 185 · all 185s on the register
- Registration
- N70176 · no longer on the register · serial 18502037
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airline transport pilot was conducting an on-demand charter flight in a wheel/ski-equipped airplane, with three passengers and climbing gear aboard. The flight was en route to a mountain climbing base camp located on a glacier, at the 7,200-foot msl level. A passing airplane discovered the accident airplane's wreckage at the 8,200-foot level of a remote mountain pass, along the anticipated flight route. The summit of the pass is situated about 9,000 feet msl, and oriented about east/west. The flight's anticipated direction of travel to the base camp was westbound. The airplane wreckage came to rest atop snow-covered glacial terrain, within a large "U" shaped, up-sloping valley, about 500 east of the pass summit. The nose of the airplane was oriented in the opposite direction of the flight's anticipated direction of travel. The airplane struck the snow-covered terrain in a near horizontal position, wings level, and about 5 degrees nose down. The NTSB investigator-in-charge documented all passenger, pilot, and cargo positions. After recovery, actual occupant and climbing gear/cargo weights were documented. The gross weight of the airplane at the time of the accident was estimated to be 20 pounds over the airplane's maximum gross weight limit of 3,350. Since there are no center of gravity (CG) limits for weights over maximum gross weight, the estimated CG of the airplane at the time of the accident, 154.1 inches, was compared to the limits at maximum gross weight, 140 to 156 inches, and found to be near the aft limit. No evidence of any preaccident mechanical anomalies was noted. The engine was placed on an engine test stand, started, and operated at various power settings, for an extended time. The engine produced its maximum rated rpm.
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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,000 hours in all; 200 in the last 90 days
- Last flight review: April 30, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,859.3 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, August 30, 2002; 95.3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D-116B (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Mckinley Air Service
The flight
- Departed from: TKA Talkeetna AK at 3:53 pm
- Destination: TKA Talkeetna AK
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.79 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from PTKA, 40 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.