Cessna A185F accident near Beluga, Alaska, September 10, 2023
On September 10, 2023 at about 9:45 pm local time, a 1976 Cessna A185F, registered N124UA, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (aborted after touchdown) near Beluga, Alaska (Capps Creek airport). It was a personal 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 delayed go-around decision with insufficient runway remaining.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 10, 2023 · about 9:45 pm local time
- Place
- Beluga, Alaska · Capps Creek · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A185F, built 1976 · all A185Fs on the register
- Registration
- N124UA · registry record · serial 18503022
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that during a landing attempt on a 975 ft long remote airstrip, he realized that the airplane was going too fast, so he decided to perform a go-around. During the go around attempt, there was not sufficient runway remaining and the airplane went over the end of a cliff, impacting terrain, resulting in substantial damage to the horizontal stabilizer and both wings. The pilot reported that there were no pre-accident mechanical failures or malfunctions 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
- Runway excursion during landing (aborted after touchdown) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Delayed action › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Aircraft capability › Takeoff distance › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 2,730.8 hours in all; 673.2 in this make and model; 20.3 in the last 90 days; 4.8 in the last 30 days; 2,730.8 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 6, 2023
- Medical certificate: BasicMed (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,823.1 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 2,202 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: AK12 Anchorage AK at 9:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 16,000 ft; a few clouds at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 29.62 inHg
- Observation at 12:53 pm from PANC, 51 miles away
Weather report (METAR): PANC 102053Z 34005KT 10SM FEW020 BKN160 11/07 A2962 RMK AO2 SLP032 T01060067 57016
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on April 4, 2024. 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, 8 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photos | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
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.