Cessna A-185-F accident near Anaktuvuk Pass, Alaska, July 31, 1992
On July 31, 1992 at about 3:00 am local time, a Cessna A-185-F, registered N27532, was substantially damaged in an accident near Anaktuvuk Pass, Alaska. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT IN COMMANDS IMPROPER PLANNING AND DECISION TO COMMENCE A TAKEOFF IN UNFAVORABLE WIND CONDITIONS. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS TO THE ACCIDENT WERE THE IMPOSSIBILITY OF THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN THE PROPER CLIMB RATE, THE UNFAVORABLE WIND CONDITIONS, AND THE PILOT MISREADING THE WIND INFORMATION.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 31, 1992 · about 3:00 am local time
- Place
- Anaktuvuk Pass, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A-185-F · all A-185-Fs on the register
- Registration
- N27532 · registry record · serial 18503688
- 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
AFTER THE AIRPLANE WAS IN POSITION FOR TAKEOFF FROM THE LAKE, THE WIND DIRECTION CHANGED SO THE PILOT REPOSITIONED THE AIRPLANE TO THE OPPOSITE END OF THE LAKE. THE PILOT SAID THAT THE WIND WAS CHANGING FAIRLY ERRATICALLY. JUST AFTER GETTING AIRBORNE, AND WHILE STILL OVER THE LAKE, THE AIRPLANE STOPPED CLIMBING THEN COLLIDED WITH THE SHORELINE. THE PILOT AND PASSENGER SAID THEY THOUGHT THE AIRPLANE STOPPED CLIMBING BECAUSE THE WIND EITHER CHANGED OR STOPPED BLOWING.
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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 9,000 hours in all; 350 in this make and model; 197 in the last 90 days; 74 in the last 30 days; 8,807 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,077 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 23, 1992; 74 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,320 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Wright Air Service, INC.
The flight
- Destination: Chandler Lake AK
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 5 knots, gusting 10
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.