Cessna A185F accident near Kahiltna Glacie, Alaska, May 31, 1993
On May 31, 1993 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Cessna A185F, registered N333DG, 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 PILOT-IN-COMMAND NOT MAINTAINING DIRECTIONAL CONTROL. A FACTOR IS THE ROUGH CONDITION OF THE GLACIER AIRSTRIP.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 31, 1993 · about 6:00 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 A185F · all A185Fs on the register
- Registration
- N333DG · registry record · serial 18503234
- 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 HE WAS REPOSITIONING THE AIRPLANE TO ANOTHER TAKEOFF AREA. THE PASSENGER STATED THE PILOT TOLD THEM THAT ONCE THEY GOT GOING THERE WAS NO STOPPING. ACCORDING TO ONE PASSENGER, THEY STARTED THE TAKEOFF RUN DOWN THE SLOPE OF THE GLACIER AND THE AIRPLANE MADE A SHARP LEFT 360 DEGREE TURN, LINED UP ON THE TAKEOFF PATH AGAIN, AND CONTINUED. THE AIRPLANE MADE ANOTHER SHARP LEFT TURN AND THE RIGHT WING STRUCK THE GLACIER.
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, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 15,500 hours in all; 1,500 in this make and model; 35 in the last 90 days; 35 in the last 30 days; 1,200 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,121 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 2, 1993; 87 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-F (piston); 0 hours total
- Not recorded
- Operator: Doug Geeting Aviation
The flight
- Destination: TKA Talkeetna AK
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 45°F (7°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 N333DG 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.