Cessna 185E accident near Talkeetna, Alaska, September 1, 1998
On September 1, 1998 at about 1:50 am local time, a Cessna 185E, registered N333DG, was substantially damaged in an accident near Talkeetna, Alaska (Talkeetna airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 5 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 resulting in a inadvertent ground loop. A contributing factor was the induced pressure on the pilot by a sick passenger.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 1, 1998 · about 1:50 am local time
- Place
- Talkeetna, Alaska · Talkeetna · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 185E · all 185Es on the register
- Registration
- N333DG · registry record · serial 18503234
- 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
The 23 year old commercial pilot was landing a tailwheel equipped airplane on a gravel runway. The pilot stated that the touchdown and the landing roll were uneventful, until the airplane's nose veered slightly to the right. He said he compensated by applying left rudder, but the airplane suddenly ground looped to the right. The left wing and left elevator collided with the runway during the ground loop, and both sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported that during the ground loop, the left wheel casting separated. In the NTSB Pilot/Operator report, the Chief Pilot stated that the flight was returning to Talkeetna earlier than scheduled with a sick passenger aboard. He said that the pilot intended to land in the gravel area just short of the paved runway, eliminating the need to back taxi, and allowing the sick passenger to exit the airplane sooner. The operator reported that during touchdown, the pilot landed sideways, and the left wheel casting separated. Wind conditions at the time of the accident were reported to be calm.
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: 755 hours in all; 200 in this make and model; 170 in the last 90 days; 91 in the last 30 days; 500 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,073 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 18, 1998; 88 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TKA at 8:00 pm
- Destination: TKA
- Runway 18, 3,500 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 pm from TKA
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 4 |
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 N333DG 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.