Cessna 185 accident near Cripple, Alaska, March 13, 1996
On March 13, 1996 at about 8:19 pm local time, a Cessna 185, registered N93829, was substantially damaged in an accident near Cripple, Alaska. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's selection of an unsuitable landing area.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 13, 1996 · about 8:19 pm local time
- Place
- Cripple, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 185 · all 185s on the register
- Registration
- N93829 · no longer on the register · serial 18503254
- 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 was carrying dog food supplies in support of the Iditarod Race. He flew to the checkpoint and was unable to find the landing area normally used due to a fresh snowfall. He elected to land on a ice covered slough. There was no snow on the slough. The pilot stated he bounced hard because there was no snow to cushion the touchdown. During the landing roll, the pilot could not stop the airplane on the ice and it slid into the scrub spruce trees at the end of the landing area. The pilot described the braking action as poor to nil.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,901 hours in all; 248 in this make and model; 2,855 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,748 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, January 25, 1996; 68 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D24N (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Hageland Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: MCG Mcgrath AK at 7:53 pm
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 19°F (-7°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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 N93829 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.