Cessna 185E accident near Tetlin, Alaska, July 30, 1986
On July 30, 1986 at about 7:15 pm local time, a Cessna 185E, registered N1613M, was substantially damaged in an accident near Tetlin, Alaska (Tetlin airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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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 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 30, 1986 · about 7:15 pm local time
- Place
- Tetlin, Alaska · Tetlin
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 185E · all 185Es on the register
- Registration
- N1613M · registry record · serial 18501833
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ACFT LEFT RWY AND CRASHED DURING ATTEMPTED GO-AROUND WITH 10 TO 25 KNOT CROSSWIND. PILOT STATED THAT ENGINE DID NOT DEVELOP FULL POWER. EXAMINATION AND TEST RUN OF ENGINE DID NOT REVEAL ANY MECHANICAL FAILURES/MALFUNCTIONS.
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; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 715 hours in all; 170 in this make and model; 43 in the last 90 days; 603 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,234 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 20, 1985; 33 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MRI Anchorage AK at 12:30 pm
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 32, 1,700 ft by 25 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded at 20,000 ft
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
Other NTSB records under N1613M the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ANC86LA117.