Cessna 208 accident near King Salmon, Alaska, October 2, 1989
On October 2, 1989 at about 1:47 am local time, a Cessna 208, registered N9382F, was substantially damaged in an accident near King Salmon, Alaska. 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
IMPROPER PLANNING/DECISION BY THE PILOT. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WERE: THE SURROUNDING TERRAIN, UNFAVORABLE WIND, DOWNDRAFT, THE PILOT'S LACK OF FAMILIARITY WITH THE GEOGRAPHICAL AREA, AND HIS SELF INDUCED PRESSURE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 2, 1989 · about 1:47 am local time
- Place
- King Salmon, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 208 · all 208s on the register
- Registration
- N9382F · registry record · serial 20800035
- 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 AIR TAXI PILOT WAS ATTEMPTING TO TRANSPORT A HUNTING PARTY FROM A SMALL LAKE WHICH HE HAD NOT LANDED ON BEFORE. HE REPORTED THAT IT WAS HIS LAST FLIGHT OF A VERY BUSY FLYING DAY, AND THAT THE HUNTERS WERE ALREADY A DAY LATE IN BEING PICKED UP DUE TO THE WEATHER. HE SAID THAT WHILE HE WAS LANDING AND LOADING HIS PASSENGERS, THE WIND SHIFTED. HE WAS UNAWARE OF THE WIND SHIFT. THE WIND WAS BLOWING OVER A SMALL HILL BESIDE THE LAKE THAT CREATED A DOWNDRAFT. ACCORDING TO THE PILOT, WHEN THE AIRPLANE BECAME AIRBORNE, THE TAKEOFF WAS DELAYED DUE TO THE WINDSHIFT AND DOWNDRAFT, AND THE AIRPLANE WAS UNABLE TO GAIN SUFFICIENT ALTITUDE TO CLEAR THE FAR SHORE.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: helicopter; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 3,020 hours in all; 310 in this make and model; 210 in the last 90 days; 84 in the last 30 days; 2,765 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,436 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, September 23, 1989; 23 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 8,000 lb
- Seats: 10
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W PT6A-114 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Mark Air Express
The flight
- Destination: AKN King Salmon AK
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 15 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 100 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 45°F (7°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.