Cessna 185 accident near Sole Lake, Alaska, June 21, 1992
On June 21, 1992 at about 2:00 am local time, a Cessna 185, registered N1589F, was substantially damaged in an accident near Sole Lake, 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
THE PILOT IN COMMAND'S INADEQUATE COMPENSATION FOR THE WIND CONDITIONS. FACTOR WAS THE UNFAVORABLE WIND.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 21, 1992 · about 2:00 am local time
- Place
- Sole Lake, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 185 · all 185s on the register
- Registration
- N1589F · no longer on the register · serial 1850971
- 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 WAS ATTEMPTING TO LAND ON THE NARROWEST PART OF THE LAKE. THE LAKE WAS SHAPED LIKE THE SOLE OF A SHOE. THE WIND WAS FROM THE WEST AT AN ESTIMATED SPEED OF 15 TO 20 KNOTS. JUST PRIOR TO TOUCHDOWN THE AIRPLANE DRIFTED RIGHT AND THE RIGHT FLOAT STRUCK A BEAVER HOUSE, THEN THE LEFT WING DRAGGED THE WATER FOLLOWED BY THE RIGHT WING. THE AIRPLANE REMAINED AFLOAT AND THEY TAXIED TO SHORE. THE PILOT REPORTED NO MECHANICAL PROBLEMS.
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: single-engine land; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 20,000 hours in all; 9,999 in this make and model; 73 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days; 19,500 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,551 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 16, 1992; 84 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,300 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Hudson Air Service
The flight
- Departed from: TKA Talkeetna AK at 8:00 pm
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 15 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 1,500 ft
- Temperature: 39°F (4°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.
Other NTSB records under N1589F 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.