Cessna 185F accident near Bettles, Alaska, September 12, 2005
On September 12, 2005 at about 4:25 am local time, a Cessna 185F, registered N58316, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bettles, Alaska (Prospect Creek airport). It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 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 compensation for a gusty crosswind, which resulted in a loss of control and an inadvertent ground-loop during the landing roll. Factors associated with the accident were the ground-loop and gusts.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 12, 2005 · about 4:25 am local time
- Place
- Bettles, Alaska · Prospect Creek · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 185F · all 185Fs on the register
- Registration
- N58316 · registry record · serial 18503284
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airline transport certificated pilot was conducting a 14 CFR Part 135 on-demand passenger flight in a tailwheel-equipped airplane. The pilot said he flew over the airstrip, and the wind sock indicated a strong right crosswind. As the airplane slowed during the landing roll, he said he lost rudder authority, and the airplane ground-looped to the right. He said the left wing received structural damage when it struck the runway following the collapse of the main landing gear. The pilot said there were no known mechanical anomalies with the airplane prior to the accident.
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, commercial pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 14,500 hours in all; 500 in this make and model; 217 in the last 90 days; 65 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Brooks Range Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: PPC Bettles AK
- Destination: Bettles AK
- Runway 36
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 15 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
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.
Other NTSB records under N58316 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.