Cessna 185F accident near Talkeetna, Alaska, June 18, 1992
On June 18, 1992 at about 2:30 am local time, a Cessna 185F, registered N125KT, was substantially damaged in an accident near Talkeetna, Alaska (Talkeetna State Airport). 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
FAILURE TO MAINTAIN DIRECTIONAL CONTROL. FACTORS INCLUDE TAILWHEEL VIBRATION/SHIMMY, AND AN INADVERTENT GROUND LOOP.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 18, 1992 · about 2:30 am local time
- Place
- Talkeetna, Alaska · Talkeetna State Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 185F · all 185Fs on the register
- Registration
- N125KT · registry record · serial 18503494
- 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 THE ATTEMPTED SHORT FIELD LANDING, THE PILOT OF THE CESSNA 185F WAS UNABLE TO MAINTAIN DIRECTIONAL CONTROL, AND THE AIRCRAFT DEPARTED THE RUNWAY, GROUND LOOPED AND DRAGGED A WING. AFTER THE ACCIDENT, THE PILOT SAID THAT THE TAILWHEEL HAD DEVELOPED A VIBRATION/SHIMMY DURING THE LANDING ROLL, AND WHEN THE AIRCRAFT BEGAN TO VEER OFF THE RUNWAY, HE WAS UNABLE TO STOP IT WITH APPLICATION OF OPPOSITE RUDDER AND BRAKE.
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: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,500 hours in all; 31 in this make and model; 140 in the last 90 days; 75 in the last 30 days; 2,450 as pilot in command; 1,350 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,173 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 12, 1992; 18 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: K2 Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: Kahiltna Glacie AK at 8:45 pm
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 18, 3,500 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 10,000 ft; clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°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 N125KT 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.