Cessna 185F accident near Chitina, Alaska, June 21, 1998
On June 21, 1998 at about 11:30 pm local time, a Cessna 185F, registered N80596, was substantially damaged in an accident near Chitina, Alaska (Ultima Thule Lodge airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's selection of unsuitable terrain for landing. Factors in the accident were uneven and soft terrain on the landing strip.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 21, 1998 · about 11:30 pm local time
- Place
- Chitina, Alaska · Ultima Thule Lodge · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 185F · all 185Fs on the register
- Registration
- N80596 · no longer on the register · serial 18503130
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was landing on a remote airstrip next to a lodge. The airstrip's gravel bar, and sand bar surface, were uneven and soft. During the landing roll, the airplane encountered an uneven area of the gravel bar, and bounced into an area of soft sand. The tip of the left main wheel ski assembly dug into the ground, and the airplane then nosed over. The airplane received damage to the main landing gear, fuselage, and wings.
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; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,500 hours in all; 400 in this make and model; 300 in the last 90 days; 100 in the last 30 days; 4,300 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,101 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 27, 1998; 33 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CXC AK at 6:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 1,500 ft by 20 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 2 knots
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 8,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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 N80596 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.