Cessna 185 accident near Porcupine Lodge, Alaska, December 21, 1988
On December 21, 1988 at about 5:40 pm local time, a Cessna 185, registered N70087, was substantially damaged in an accident near Porcupine Lodge, Alaska (Porcupine River airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 3 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
- December 21, 1988 · about 5:40 pm local time
- Place
- Porcupine Lodge, Alaska · Porcupine River
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 185 · all 185s on the register
- Registration
- N70087 · no longer on the register · serial 18501953
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRCRAFT WAS TAXIING FOR TAKEOFF ON THE FROZEN PORCUPINE RIVER IN RURAL ALASKA WHEN THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR BROKE THROUGH THE RIVER ICE, ALLOWING THE RIGHT WING TO STRIKE THE ICE. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE HAD LANDED ON THE RIVER NEAR THE PORCUPINE LODGE AT A SITE THAT HAD BEEN DESIGNATED BY THE OPERATOR OF THE LODGE AS A LANDING SITE. HE EXPERIENCED NO PROBLEMS DURING THE LANDING, AND ASSUMED THAT THE ICE WAS THICK ENOUGH TO SUPPORT THE WEIGHT OF HIS AIRPLANE. DURING THE TAXI DOWNSTREAM FOR TAKEOFF, THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR TIRE AND SKI BROKE THROUGH THE ICE INTO APPROXIMATELY FOUR FEET OF WATER.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 10,000 hours in all; 5,000 in this make and model; 85 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,342 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 5, 1988; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Yukon Air Service
The flight
- Destination: Fort Yukon AK
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 35 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 4,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N70087 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.