Cessna 185 incident near Near Cordova, Alaska, January 13, 1983
On January 13, 1983 at about 4:30 pm local time, a Cessna 185, registered N2660S, suffered minor damage in an incident near Near Cordova, Alaska. It was a public-use flight under public-use (government) rules. No one was hurt; 1 person was 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 incident. 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
- January 13, 1983 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Near Cordova, Alaska · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 185 · all 185s on the register
- Registration
- N2660S · no longer on the register · serial 18502262
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Public-use flight · public-use (government) rules
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT ENCOUNTERED DETERIORATING WX CONDITIONS AND RECEIVED MINOR DAMAGE DURING A PRECAUTIONARY LANDING IN WHITEOUT CONDITIONS. A SIGMET WAS IN EFFECT.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 9,473 hours in all; 4,200 in this make and model; 118 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,513 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, December 20, 1982; 11 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Kennedy Air Service
The flight
- Departed from: CYT Cape Yakataga AK at 3:00 pm
- Destination: CKU Cordova AK
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 40 knots, gusting 77
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 800 ft; scat at 200 ft
- Temperature: 27°F (-3°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.