Cessna 185 accident near Eek, Alaska, January 19, 2005
On January 19, 2005 at about 5:30 pm local time, a Cessna 185, registered N9452N, was substantially damaged in an accident near Eek, Alaska. It was a public-use flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 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 weather conditions, which resulted in an on ground encounter with terrain during the landing roll. Factors associated with the accident were a tailwind, and snow-covered, icy terrain conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 19, 2005 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- Eek, 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
- N9452N · registry record · serial 18504359
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Public-use flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private certificated pilot, a Fish and Wildlife Protection Officer, and the passenger, a State Trooper, were utilizing a wheel/ski-equipped airplane to conduct surveillance activities of hunters. The pilot was landing to the west on the hard packed snow and ice-covered lake, which he thought would required a correction for a left crosswind. After landing, as the airplane neared the end of its 950 long landing roll, the nose of the airplane veered to the left, and the airplane began to slide sideways. The airplane turned about 90 degrees to the left, and the right ski dug into the snow. The right wing and right stabilizer subsequently struck the surface of the frozen lake. The pilot noted in his written report: "As I exited the pilot's side of the aircraft, I was extremely surprised to find that the wind was actually a left quartering tailwind, at about 15 knots." The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing and right stabilizer. There were no preaccident mechanical anomalies noted with the airplane.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,500 hours in all; 28 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 1,400 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 1, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,277.5 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 1, 2004; 60.2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BET Bethel AK at 4:00 pm
- Destination: Eek AK
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 10°F (-12°C), dew point 0°F (-18°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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ANC05TA022.