Cessna A185F accident near Talkeetna, Alaska, June 17, 1984
On June 17, 1984 at about 6:30 pm local time, a Cessna A185F, registered N1047F, was substantially damaged in an accident near Talkeetna, Alaska (Talkeetna airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 4 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
- June 17, 1984 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Talkeetna, Alaska · Talkeetna · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A185F · all A185Fs on the register
- Registration
- N1047F · registry record · serial 18502704
- 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
THE ACFT WAS BEING USED TO TRANSPORT MOUNTAIN CLIMBERS FROM A GLACIER. DURING TAKEOFF FROM THE GLACIER, THE RIGHT LANDING GEAR STRUT FAILED AT THE AXLE POINT & THE WHEEL/SKI DANGLED FREE. WHEN HE LANDED ON A GRAVEL RWY, THE PLT HELD OFF THE RIGHT SIDE AS LONG AS POSSIBLE. WHEN THE RIGHT STRUT TOUCHED DOWN, IT DUG IN, THEN COLLAPSED. AN EXAM REVEALED A FATIGUE CRACK THRU APRX 65% OF THE STRUT, PN 0741001-8, WHERE 2 BOLT HOLES WERE DRILLED, APRX 1 1/2 INCHES FROM THE LOWER END. THE CRACK ORIGINATED IN THE BOTTOM OF CORROSION PITS (RUST) LOCATED AT THE INBOARD SIDE OF THE UPPER AFT SPINDLE ATTACHMENT BOLT HOLE.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 9,860 hours in all; 6,000 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days; 75 in the last 30 days; 9,850 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,000 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 2, 1984; 31 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,300 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Kahiltna Glacer AK at 7:00 pm
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 36, 4,000 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 10°F (-12°C)
- Observation at 10:30 am
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N1047F the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.