Cessna A185E accident near Dog Salmon Riv, Alaska, October 17, 1991
On October 17, 1991 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Cessna A185E, registered N2756J, was substantially damaged in an accident near Dog Salmon Riv, Alaska. 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
THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN AIRSPEED. CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WAS THE DOWNDRAFT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 17, 1991 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Dog Salmon Riv, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A185E · all A185Es on the register
- Registration
- N2756J · registry record · serial 185-1506
- 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 PILOT STATED THAT WHILE ON A SLOW SHALLOW APPROACH TO A SHORT LANDING STRIP, HE ENCOUNTERED A DOWNDRAFT JUST SHORT OF THE STRIP. THE AIRPLANE SUBSEQUENTLY LANDED HARD.
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; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 4,370 hours in all; 150 in this make and model; 188 in the last 90 days; 46 in the last 30 days; 4,370 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,786 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 30, 1991; 63 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Windy'S Mag Air, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: 5NK Naknek AK at 1:15 pm
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 36°F (2°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.