Cessna 185 accident near Talkeetna, Alaska, July 28, 1996
On July 28, 1996 at about 10:30 pm local time, a Cessna 185, registered N70018, was destroyed in an accident near Talkeetna, Alaska. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 2 people had minor injuries; 4 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate preflight planning for departure and his selection of unsuitable terrain. Factors in the accident were soft, snow covered terrain and the pilot's delay in aborting the takeoff.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 28, 1996 · about 10:30 pm local time
- Place
- Talkeetna, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries; 4 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 185 · all 185s on the register
- Registration
- N70018 · no longer on the register · serial 18501893
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The takeoff area was on a mountain glacier at 5,700 feet mean sea level, and was about 2,500 feet long and sloped downhill. The snow condition was wet and dense. The pilot reported that the engine was producing full power during the downslope takeoff. When the pilot began to lift off, the engine momentarily lost power and surged about 3 times from full power to almost no power. The pilot turned on the fuel boost pump, but full power was not restored. The airplane settled onto snow covered terrain and then collided with the edge of a crevasse. A national park ranger reported that the ski tracks produced by the accident airplane extended approximately 4,000 feet along the surface of the snow before leaving the surface at the edge of a crevasse. About 50 yards beyond the crevasse, additional ski tracks were noted skipping on the snow surface until the point of rest at the accident crevasse. An FAA inspector conducted an examination of the accident airplane's engine and fuel system. He reported that the engine ran normally with no observed discrepancies.
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, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: glider; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 10,000 hours in all; 2,500 in this make and model; 182 in the last 90 days; 66 in the last 30 days; 1,000 as pilot in command; 750 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,729 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, July 13, 1996; 30 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: TKN Talkeetna AK
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 8,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 | 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 N70018 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.