Cessna 185 accident near Hulahula River, Alaska, August 30, 1993
On August 30, 1993 at about 1:25 am local time, a Cessna 185, registered N70087, was destroyed in an accident near Hulahula River, Alaska. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT IN COMMAND'S ATTEMPTED VFR FLIGHT INTO IMC CONDITIONS. FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WERE THE HIGH TERRAIN AND THE OBSCURATION.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 30, 1993 · about 1:25 am local time
- Place
- Hulahula River, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Cessna 185 · all 185s on the register
- Registration
- N70087 · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT COMMUNICATED THAT THE WEATHER IN THE MOUNTAIN PASS AHEAD DID NOT LOOK FAVORABLE AND WOULD RETURN TO THE REMOTE CAMP IF UNABLE TO MAKE IT THROUGH. A WITNESS REPORTED THE HIGH TERRAIN WAS OBSCURED IN CLOUDS. SEARCH AIRCRAFT LOCATED WRECKAGE NEAR 7000 FOOT LEVEL OF TOP OF PASS IN A 20 DEGREE UPSLOPING RAVINE. A POST CRASH FIRE DESTROYED THE AIRCRAFT. THE WRECKAGE WAS NOT RECOVERED.
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: 5,000 hours in all; 1,000 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days; 4,900 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: Colleen River AK at 7:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 7,000 ft; not recorded at 7,000 ft
- Temperature: 37°F (3°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 8:00 pm, 50 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
Other NTSB records under N70087 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.