Cessna 185 accident near Kahiltna Glacie, Alaska, May 24, 1992
On May 24, 1992 at about 7:10 pm local time, a Cessna 185, registered N124KT, was substantially damaged in an accident near Kahiltna Glacie, Alaska. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE FRACTURE OF THE LANDING GEAR WHEEL SKI PIVOT SHAFT DUE TO IMPROPER MANUFACTURE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 24, 1992 · about 7:10 pm local time
- Place
- Kahiltna Glacie, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 185 · all 185s on the register
- Registration
- N124KT · registry record · serial 18503765
- 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
DURING A TAKEOFF RUN ON THE KAHILTNA GLACIER THE LEFT WHEEL SKI PIVOT SHAFT FRACTURED AND FAILED CAUSING THE RIGHT WING TO DRAG ON THE SNOW. EXAMINATION OF THE PIVOT SHAFT SHOWED THAT THE METAL WAS 4300 SERIES STEEL, THE TWO KEYWAYS WERE MACHINED DIFFERENTLY, AND THE RADIUS ON THE CIRCUMFERENTIAL STEP WAS IRREGULAR. THESE AREAS DID NOT MEET THE SPECIFICATIONS SET FORTH IN THE MANUFACTURER'S BLUEPRINTS.
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
- Flight time: 6,856 hours in all; 850 in this make and model; 170 in the last 90 days; 66 in the last 30 days; 6,610 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, January 2, 2000
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: TKA Talkeetna AK
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 28°F (-2°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N124KT the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.