Cessna A185F accident near Talkeetna, Alaska, June 16, 1998
On June 16, 1998 at about 8:15 pm local time, a Cessna A185F, registered N185DG, was substantially damaged in an accident near Talkeetna, 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
The failure of the right main landing gear leg due to fatigue cracking. A factor associated with this accident is the inadequate inspection procedure specified by the manufacturer.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 16, 1998 · about 8:15 pm local time
- Place
- Talkeetna, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A185F · all A185Fs on the register
- Registration
- N185DG · registry record · serial 18503802
- 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
During takeoff from a glacier off airport landing site, the right landing gear leg and ski separated from the airplane and both wings contacted the snow. Postaccident inspection revealed multiple site fatigue cracks at both upper wheel attachment bolt holes on the right landing gear leg. The airplane was routinely used for off airport landings on both wheels and skis. The airplane had accumulated 6,561 hours in operation at the time of the accident. No life limit (hours or cycles) exists for Cessna 185 landing gear legs. The only inspection for cracks is a visual inspection for general condition performed at 100 hour and annual intervals. This inspection does not require removal of the wheels/skis, nor does it require removal of any paint coatings prior to inspection.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 7,000 hours in all; 5,000 in this make and model; 130 in the last 90 days; 62 in the last 30 days; 6,975 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,561 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 31, 1998; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Douglas Geeting Aviation, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: Kahiltna Glac'R AK at 3:15 pm
- Destination: TKA Talkeetna AK
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 50°F (10°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 N185DG 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.