Cessna 185E accident near King Salmon, Alaska, August 26, 1997
On August 26, 1997 at about 11:49 pm local time, a Cessna 185E, registered N454CF, was substantially damaged in an accident near King Salmon, Alaska (King Salmon airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 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
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control while landing the oversize tire equipped airplane on dry, newly surfaced, asphalt.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 26, 1997 · about 11:49 pm local time
- Place
- King Salmon, Alaska · King Salmon · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 185E · all 185Es on the register
- Registration
- N454CF · no longer on the register · serial 185-1247
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The 29-inch tundra tire equipped airplane was being landed on a dry, newly surfaced, asphalt runway. The winds were reported to be a 40 degree right crosswind at 6 knots. The pilot stated that there were no problems with the airplane, and that he allowed the airplane to veer left. The airplane departed the runway, struck a berm, and nosed over.
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, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 19,000 hours in all; 2,000 in this make and model; 177 in the last 90 days; 62 in the last 30 days; 16,000 as pilot in command; 3,000 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,186 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 25, 1997; 23 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SOV Seldova AK at 5:15 pm
- Destination: AKN AK
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 29, 8,500 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 65 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 20,000 ft; scat at 3,900 ft
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:55 pm from AKN
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.
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.