Cessna 185 accident near Big Lake, Alaska, June 18, 1998
On June 18, 1998 at about 2:10 am local time, a Cessna 185, registered N9982X, was destroyed in an accident near Big Lake, Alaska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's performance of a low level maneuver. Factors were the pilot's overconfidence in his personal ability, his lack of experience in the type of airplane, and his failure to maintain adequate clearance from terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 18, 1998 · about 2:10 am local time
- Place
- Big Lake, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 185 · all 185s on the register
- Registration
- N9982X · no longer on the register · serial 185-0182
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Witnesses reported seeing the airplane entering a steep right bank toward them from level flight about 300 feet above the ground. A commercial pilot witness in the group, who estimated the bank to be 120 degrees, said the airplane reversed direction, and leveled out prior to striking trees. Postaccident inspection disclosed no evidence of preimpact mechanical anomalies with the airplane. The pilot had moved to Alaska within the previous two weeks, and was described by his employer as excited to learn to be a bush pilot. He had accumulated six hours of experience with the owner in his float equipped 300 horsepower Cessna 185, all in the previous week.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 746 hours in all; 6 in this make and model; 81 in the last 90 days; 13 in the last 30 days; 630 as pilot in command; 302 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10,579 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 26, 1997; 11 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: MRI Anchorage AK at 9:00 pm
- Destination: BGQ AK
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 20,000 ft; scat at 7,000 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 pm from ANC, 14 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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 N9982X 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.