Cessna 185 accident near Trinity Lake, Alaska, April 12, 1989
On April 12, 1989 at about 1:30 am local time, a Cessna 185, registered N9850X, was substantially damaged in an accident near Trinity Lake, Alaska. 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 PILOT'S SELECTION OF UNSUITABLE TERRAIN ON WHICH TO LAND.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 12, 1989 · about 1:30 am local time
- Place
- Trinity Lake, Alaska
- 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
- N9850X · no longer on the register · serial 1850050
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT WAS ATTEMPTING A LATE AFTERNOON LANDING AT AN OFF AIRPORT LANDING SITE ON A SNOW COVERED LAKE. SHORTLY AFTER TOUCH DOWN, THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR SKI BECAME DETACHED FROM THE GEAR LEG. THE GEAR LEG WENT THROUGH THE SNOW AND INTO THE ICE BELOW, COLLAPSING THE RIGHT MAIN GEAR IN THE PROCESS. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT THE SNOW CONDITIONS WERE EXTREMELY WET, AND THAT DURING THE LANDING ROLL THE RIGHT MAIN SKI BECAME MIRED IN THE HEAVY SNOW, ULTIMATELY CAUSING THE SKI ATTACHMENT BOLTS TO FAIL AND ALLOWING THE GEAR LEG TO STRIKE THE ICE.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 942 hours in all; 703 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,881 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 13, 1988; 97 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LHD Anchorage AK at 8:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 60 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.