Cessna 185 accident near Marshall, Alaska, November 30, 1996
On November 30, 1996 at about 4:00 pm local time, a Cessna 185, registered N93829, was destroyed in an accident near Marshall, Alaska. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
failure of the pilot to maintain adequate airspeed, while maneuvering at low altitude, which resulted in an inadvertent stall and collision with the terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 30, 1996 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- Marshall, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 185 · all 185s on the register
- Registration
- N93829 · no longer on the register · serial 18503254
- 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 air taxi charter flight departed Bethel for the purpose of conducting a moose count survey between Russian Mission, Alaska, and Marshall, Alaska. The passenger was a wildlife biologist for the State of Alaska. The airplane was scheduled to stop at Emmonak for fuel. The airplane never arrived. It was located where it had crashed near the Yukon River in a steep, nose down attitude, with the nose buried in the ground. The only trees damaged were those directly adjacent to the airplane, depicting a steep, near vertical, crash path profile. The terrain was flat and tree covered, and there were numerous areas on the ground indicating moose had bedded down. Examination of the airplane disclosed the tachometer on the airplane operated 1.6 hours since the airplane's departure from Bethel. No evidence of any preimpact mechanical anomalies were discovered with the engine, airframe, or flight controls.
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: 16,000 hours in all; 6,000 in this make and model; 224 in the last 90 days; 70 in the last 30 days; 16,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10,013 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 13, 1996
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D24N (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Hageland Aviation Services In.
The flight
- Departed from: BET Bethel AK at 2:27 pm
- Destination: ENM Emmonak AK
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 4,700 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: -26°F (-32°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.