Cessna 185 accident near Mentasta Lake, Alaska, September 7, 2013
On September 7, 2013 at about 11:30 pm local time, a 1961 Cessna 185, registered N432X, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Mentasta Lake, Alaska. It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 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 pilots improper flare, which resulted in a hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 7, 2013 · about 11:30 pm local time
- Place
- Mentasta Lake, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 185 F, built 1961 · all 185s on the register
- Registration
- N432X · no longer on the register · serial 1850129
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was landing a tailwheel and tundra tire-equipped airplane at an off-airport site. Just before touchdown he felt the airplane sink, and added power to correct the condition, but the airplane hit hard and bounced. He recovered from the bounce, and brought the airplane to a full stop. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot reported no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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
What happened, in order
- Hard landing during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Delayed action › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,826 hours in all; 148 in this make and model; 145 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days; 1,740 as pilot in command; 200 on instruments
- Last flight review: May 29, 2013
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,849 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 17, 2013
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Copper Valley Air Service LLC
The flight
- Departed from: Mentasta Lake AK
- Destination: Mentasta Lake AK
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 9,000 ft
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 29.64 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from PAGK, 90 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
1 document, released by the NTSB on January 23, 2014. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N432X 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.