Cessna 185B accident near Koyuktolik, Alaska, October 7, 1990
On October 7, 1990, a Cessna 185B, registered N2525Z, was substantially damaged in an accident near Koyuktolik, Alaska (Koyuktolik Bay airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
PILOT-IN-COMMAND'S FAILURE TO PROPERLY EXECUTE A STABILIZED APPROACH TO THE FIRST 1/3 OF THE RUNWAY. CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WAS THE EXCESSIVE AIRPSEED MAINTAINED DURING THE APPROACH AND LANDING.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 7, 1990
- Place
- Koyuktolik, Alaska · Koyuktolik Bay · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 185B · all 185Bs on the register
- Registration
- N2525Z · registry record
- 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
ACCORDING TO THE CHIEF PILOT, WHO OBSERVED THE ACIDENT, THE AIRPLANE LANDED MID-FIELD WITH EXCESSIVE LANDING SPEED. THE AIRPLANE'S TAIL WHEEL NEVER TOUCHED THE GROUND DURING THE LANDING ROLL AND AS IT NEARED THE END OF THE RUNWAY IT VEERED TO THE RIGHT. THE MAIN LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED AND THE AIRPLANE ROLLED OVER AFTER SHEARING ITS WINGS. EXAMINATION OF THE MAIN LANDING GEAR AND BRAKE SYSTEM REVEALED NO MECHANICAL FAILURE OR PRE IMPACT MALFUNCTION. THE PILOT WAS NEWLY HIRED.
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; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,000 hours in all; 211 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days; 60 in the last 30 days; 6,000 as pilot in command; 380 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,469 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 12, 1990; 64 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-F (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Raven Air
The flight
- Departed from: ANC Anchorage AK at 5:45 pm
- Runway 0, 1,920 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 25000 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,500 ft
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.