Cessna 185 accident near Talkeetna, Alaska, July 23, 1997
On July 23, 1997 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Cessna 185, registered N9855X, was substantially damaged in an accident near Talkeetna, Alaska (Kahiltna Glacier Strip airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilots failure to maintain terrain clearance during the downslope, downwind, high altitude, takeoff. Factors were the snow and lighting conditions, and the tailwind takeoff.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 23, 1997 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Talkeetna, Alaska · Kahiltna Glacier Strip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 185 · all 185s on the register
- Registration
- N9855X · registry record · serial 1850055
- 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 made a steep downslope, downwind, departure from a 1,000-foot-long packed snow strip at 9,500 feet msl. The departure path was down a steep canyon. The lighting was flat, with no contrast available to see the snow covered terrain. The airplane impacted rising terrain shortly after takeoff.
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: 3,450 hours in all; 955 in this make and model; 60 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days; 3,420 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10,050 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, July 22, 1997; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Hudson Air Service, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: Kahiltna Glacer AK at 5:00 pm
- Destination: TKA AK
- Runway 0, 1,000 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 1,000 ft
- Temperature: 25°F (-4°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
Other NTSB records under N9855X the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ANC97LA110.