Cessna 185 accident near Mccarthy, Alaska, February 15, 1986
On February 15, 1986 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Cessna 185, registered N70308, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mccarthy, Alaska (Mccarthy #2 airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 15, 1986 · about 7:00 pm local time · cases in 1986
- Place
- Mccarthy, Alaska · Mccarthy #2 · cases near this airport
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 185 · all 185s on the register
- Registration
- N70308 · no longer on the register · serial 18502104
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT STATED THAT HE TOUCHED DOWN TOO HARD AND THE MAIN WHEELS BROKE THROUGH THE CRUST ON THE SNOW. THE PILOT LOST CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT CAUSING THE PLANE TO NOSE OVER ON ITS BACK.
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: 601 hours in all; 28 in this make and model; 35 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 531 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,856 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 11, 1985; 28 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GKN Gulkawa AK at 6:00 pm
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 1, 4,200 ft by 80 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 010° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 90 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 10°F (-12°C), dew point 3°F (-16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N70308: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Cessna 185 Skywagon 228 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,682 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D 95 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Mccarthy Airport · nearest airport
- Gulkana Airport · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Alaska 5,932 since 1982 · 825 in the last ten years
- Alaska 9,142 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ANC86LA029.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.