Cessna 182A accident near Talkeetna, Alaska, May 16, 1987
On May 16, 1987 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Cessna 182A, registered N4600W, was substantially damaged in an accident near Talkeetna, Alaska (Shulin Lake 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 October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 16, 1987 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Talkeetna, Alaska · Shulin Lake · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182A · all 182As on the register
- Registration
- N4600W · no longer on the register · serial 51325
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT WAS TARDY WHEN DECIDING TO ABORT THE TAKEOFF ATTEMPT FROM A ROUGH SHORT STRIP. THE AIRPLANE RAN INTO SOFT OVER-RUN 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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 3,210 hours in all; 500 in this make and model; 3 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (expired)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,450 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 23, 1985; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-L (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BGQ Big Lake AK at 3:30 am
- Destination: Shulin Lake AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0, 750 ft by 30 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 4,000 ft; clear
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 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.
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.