Cessna A185F accident near Kotzebue, Alaska, September 13, 1982
On September 13, 1982 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Cessna A185F, registered N60844, was substantially damaged in an accident near Kotzebue, Alaska (Ralph Wien Memorial 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 NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 13, 1982 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Kotzebue, Alaska · Ralph Wien Memorial
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A185F · all A185Fs on the register
- Registration
- N60844 · registry record · serial 18504062
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
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
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
- Flight time: 353 hours in all; 172 in this make and model; 53 in the last 90 days; 302 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 395 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 114 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: OTZ Kotzebue AK at 1:00 pm
- Destination: FAI Fairbanks AK
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 8, 5,900 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 010° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.
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.