Cessna 185 accident near Paxson, Alaska, March 15, 1982
On March 15, 1982 at about 9:15 am local time, a Cessna 185, registered N6978H, was substantially damaged in an accident near Paxson, Alaska (Frozen Paxson Lake airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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 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
- March 15, 1982 · about 9:15 am local time
- Place
- Paxson, Alaska · Frozen Paxson Lake
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 185 · all 185s on the register
- Registration
- N6978H · no longer on the register · serial 18503347
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER LANDING ON A SNOW COVERED, FROZEN LAKE, THE PILOT BEGAN TO TAXI TO THE DESIRED PARKING SPOT. WHILE TAXIING, THE AIRCRAFT ENCOUNTERED AN AREA OF SMOOTH ICE UNDER THE SNOW AND BEGAN TO SLIDE SIDEWAYS. THE RIGHT SKI DROPPED THROUGH AN OVERFLOW AREA ON THE ICE. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE RIGHT WING SPAR, AILERON, AND ELEVATOR WERE DAMAGED.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,342 hours in all; 1,454 in this make and model; 70 in the last 90 days; 4,152 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,777 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 7 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Gulkana AK at 8:30 am
- Destination: Carter MT
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.