Cessna A185F accident near Kotzebue, Alaska, October 15, 1994
On October 15, 1994 at about 7:40 pm local time, a Cessna A185F, registered N20752, was substantially damaged in an accident near Kotzebue, Alaska (Kotzebue airport). 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
A FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN ADEQUATE DISTANCE FROM THE TERRAIN (SNOW BANK). FLAT LIGHTING AND LOW CONTRAST CONDITIONS WERE FACTORS IN THE ACCIDENT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 15, 1994 · about 7:40 pm local time
- Place
- Kotzebue, Alaska · Kotzebue · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A185F · all A185Fs on the register
- Registration
- N20752 · registry record · serial 18503041
- 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 AND TWO PASSENGERS OF A WHEEL/SKI EQUIPPED AIRPLANE WERE TAXIING FOR TAKEOFF FOR AN ON-DEMAND AIR TAXI FLIGHT. THE RIGHT SKI CONTACTED A SNOW BERM AND PIVOTED THE AIRPLANE. THE LEFT WING THEN STRUCK A SNOW BANK. THE PILOT INDICATED THAT FLAT LIGHTING CONDITIONS AND LOW CONTRAST MADE DISTINCTION BETWEEN THE SNOW BERM AND THE SURROUNDING TERRAIN DIFFICULT.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,151 hours in all; 395 in this make and model; 286 in the last 90 days; 73 in the last 30 days; 4,931 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,493 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 13, 1994; 6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: Sheshalik AK
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°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 N20752 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.