Cessna A185E accident near Alexander Lake, Alaska, March 20, 1990
On March 20, 1990 at about 1:15 am local time, a Cessna A185E, registered N3386L, was substantially damaged in an accident near Alexander Lake, Alaska. It was a personal 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
LOSS OF ENGINE POWER FOR AN UNKNOWN REASON. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: DARKNESS AND TREES IN THE EMERGENCY LANDING AREA.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 20, 1990 · about 1:15 am local time
- Place
- Alexander Lake, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A185E · all A185Es on the register
- Registration
- N3386L · no longer on the register · serial 185-1338
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ENG LOST POWER SHORTLY AFTER THE PLT BEGAN A DSCNT. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH TREES DURING AN EMERGENCY LANDING AT NIGHT. NO REASON WAS VERIFIED FOR THE LOSS OF POWER, THOUGH THE POSSIBILITY OF ICE IN THE FUEL SYSTEM WAS CONSIDERED. THE TEMP & DEW POINT WERE 8 DEG & ZERO DEG, RESPECTIVE, WHICH WAS NOT CONDUCIVE FOR CARB ICE. THE ACFT WAS FURTHER DAMAGED AFTER THE ACDNT, WHEN IT STARTED TO SWING WILDLY DURING A HELICOPTER SLING OPN & HAD TO BE RELEASED FROM ABOUT 300 FT AGL.
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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 5,063 hours in all; 175 in this make and model; 74 in the last 90 days; 57 in the last 30 days; 3,814 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,377 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 12, 1989; 135 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: Unalakleet AK at 9:50 pm
- Destination: ANC Anchorage AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 030° at 6 knots, gusting 6
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 9°F (-13°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.
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.