Cessna 182F accident near Talkeetna, Alaska, June 29, 1997
On June 29, 1997 at about 5:12 pm local time, a Cessna 182F, registered N3186U, was destroyed in an accident near Talkeetna, Alaska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Undetermined.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 29, 1997 · about 5:12 pm local time
- Place
- Talkeetna, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182F · all 182Fs on the register
- Registration
- N3186U · no longer on the register · serial 182545886
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot and 3 passengers departed on a personal sight-seeing flight around Mt. McKinley and did not return. An aerial search failed to locate the airplane, and it is presumed to have crashed in remote mountainous terrain. A flight plan was not filed. Radar track data was located from an aircraft that progressed from the area of the departure airport toward Mt. McKinley. It is unknown if the radar track was the accident airplane, but no other radar data matching the anticipated flight profile was located. The radar track terminated at an elevation of 14,400 feet mean sea level in the area of the East Buttress of Mt. McKinley. The search for the airplane was suspended 8 days after the airplane departed, and after 528 hours of search flight activity. Search personnel determined the search clues, and radar track profile, were consistent with the most likely flight profile of the accident airplane. Aircraft damage and injuries are presumed.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 960 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-R (piston); 0 hours total
- Not recorded
The flight
- Departed from: MRI Anchorage AK at 10:43 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:57 am from TKA, 50 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
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.