Cessna 185C accident near Bettles, Alaska, July 12, 1995
On July 12, 1995 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Cessna 185C, registered N725, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bettles, Alaska. It was a public-use flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 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 FAILURE TO PROPERLY JUDGE THE HEIGHT OF THE AIRPLANE ABOVE THE WATER DURING LANDING. CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WERE THE GLASSY WATER CONDITIONS AND AN EXCESSIVE DESCENT RATE AT TOUCHDOWN.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 12, 1995 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Bettles, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 185C · all 185Cs on the register
- Registration
- N725 · registry record · serial 1850737
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Public-use flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT HAD PERFORMED TWO PREVIOUS GLASSY WATER LANDINGS ON THE LAKE. ON HIS THIRD LANDING, HE MISJUDGED HIS HEIGHT ABOVE THE WATER AND PREMATURELY REDUCED POWER. THE AIRCRAFT DESCENDED ABRUPTLY AND SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE DURING THE ENSUING HARD LANDING.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,042 hours in all; 500 in this make and model; 110 in the last 90 days; 60 in the last 30 days; 1,892 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,307 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 26, 1994; 93 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BTT Bettles AK at 1:00 pm
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°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 N725 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.