Cessna C-182K accident near Port Alsworth, Alaska, August 2, 1985
On August 2, 1985 at about 3:00 am local time, a Cessna C-182K, registered N3121Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near Port Alsworth, Alaska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 2, 1985 · about 3:00 am local time · cases in 1985
- Place
- Port Alsworth, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna C-182K
- Registration
- N3121Q · registry record · serial 18258121
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT-IN-COMMAND STATED THAT HE MISJUDGED HIS HEIGHT ABOVE THE RUNWAY'S SURFACE AFTER MAKING HIS APPROACH FROM OVER THE WATER. HE FLARED 10 TO 15 FOOT ABOVE THE GROUND. UPON TOUCHDOWN HE LOST CONTROL OF THE AIRPLANE AND IT LEFT THE RUNWAY'S SURFACE AND NOSED OVER.
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: 843 hours in all; 15 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,200 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 1, 1985
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MRI Anchorage AK at 8:30 pm
- Destination: Port Alsworth AK
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0, 1,000 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 7,000 ft; clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 7:00 pm
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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N3121Q on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna 72,685 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental O-470-R 107 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Merrill Field · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Alaska 5,932 since 1982 · 826 in the last ten years
- Alaska 9,143 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ANC85LA144.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.