Cessna 185 accident near Chickaloon, Alaska, August 9, 1997
On August 9, 1997 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Cessna 185, registered N5246E, was substantially damaged in an accident near Chickaloon, Alaska. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
inadequate maintenance inspection and failure of the left main landing gear attachment due to fatigue. A factor was continuous use of the airplane for rough area, off-airport landings.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 9, 1997 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Chickaloon, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 185 · all 185s on the register
- Registration
- N5246E · no longer on the register · serial 185-03943
- 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
As the tundra tire equipped airplane slowed to 25 knots during the landing roll on a gravel strip, the left main landing gear leg separated at the wheel attachment bolt holes. The airplane ground looped, and both wingtips were damaged. Metallurgical examination revealed multiple fatigue cracks originating from the bolt holes. The airplane had been used extensively for off-airport landings, both on wheels and skis. The failed gear leg had been inspected for cracks 806 flight hours and 16 months prior to the accident.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,500 hours in all; 3,000 in this make and model; 275 in the last 90 days; 80 in the last 30 days; 4,500 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,243 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, August 4, 1997; 25 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TKA Talkeetna AK at 1:30 pm
- Destination: Chickaloon Rivr AK
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 10,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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 N5246E 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.