Cessna A185F accident near Port Alsworth, Alaska, September 28, 1985
On September 28, 1985 at about 3:30 am local time, a Cessna A185F, registered N9676H, was substantially damaged in an accident near Port Alsworth, Alaska. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 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 28, 1985 · about 3:30 am local time
- Place
- Port Alsworth, Alaska · map
- 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
- N9676H · registry record · serial 18503459
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT TOOK OFF IN TURBULENT WIND CONDITIONS AND LOST CONTROL OF THE AIRPLANE; STRIKING GROUND AND UPENDING.
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; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,545 hours in all; 740 in this make and model; 300 in the last 90 days; 1,445 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,187 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 23, 1985; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,320 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 225° at 15 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 7:30 pm
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.