Cessna A185E accident near Eagle River, Alaska, April 12, 2020
On April 12, 2020 at about 4:25 am local time, a 1968 Cessna A185E, registered N185RN, was substantially damaged in an accident during emergency descent near Eagle River, Alaska (D&C Fire Lake Flying Club airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to ensure adequate fuel onboard prior to the planned flight, resulting in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion and an aerodynamic stall during the subsequent emergency landing. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s reliance on an improperly programmed fuel totalizer.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 12, 2020 · about 4:25 am local time
- Place
- Eagle River, Alaska · D&C Fire Lake Flying Club · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A185E, built 1968 · all A185Es on the register
- Registration
- N185RN · no longer on the register · serial 185-1417
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot-rated passenger reported that, during approach for landing, the engine lost total power. The pilot attempted to make an emergency landing; however, the airplane aerodynamically stalled short of the lake and impacted the ground. Upon arrival, first responders reported minimal fuel leaking from the airplane and negligible evidence of a fuel spill. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed no evidence of preexisting malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. The passenger stated the pilot did not add fuel the day of the accident or check the fuel quantity visually before departing on the accident flight and that the pilot relied on the fuel totalizer to determine fuel onboard. Although the fuel totalizer indicated there was 7.7 gallons of fuel remaining at the time of the accident, the accuracy of the fuel totalizer requires accurate estimates of the fuel onboard the airplane to be reliable. The investigation could not determine the amount of fuel onboard prior to the accident flight. However, assuming the pilot had full fuel onboard when he last departed the airfield he commonly refueled at, fuel burn computations were consistent with the airplane consuming all usable fuel onboard at the time of the accident. It is likely the engine consumed fuel at a higher rate than the pilot planned for, and the engine lost all power due to fuel exhaustion.
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
- Loss of control in flight during emergency descent
- Loss of engine power (total) during approach
- Aerodynamic stall/spin during emergency descent defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during emergency descent
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Angle of attack › Capability exceeded
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Fuel planning › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 1,500 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,966 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 17, 2019
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental Motors IO-550-D (2) (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Tyonek AK at 3:45 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway N/S, 3,500 ft by 200 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 7,000 ft
- Temperature: 37°F (3°C), dew point 18°F (-8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.33 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 pm from PANC, 20 miles away
Weather report (METAR): PANC 120353Z 05006KT 10SM BKN070 BKN100 OVC120 03/M08 A3033 RMK AO2 SLP273 T00331078 $
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
22 documents, released by the NTSB on January 6, 2022. 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.
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.