Cessna 185 accident near Kotzebue, Alaska, May 29, 1998
On May 29, 1998 at about 10:30 pm local time, a Cessna 185, registered N4761Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near Kotzebue, Alaska. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The instructor pilot's inadequate compensation for wind conditions. A factor associated with this accident was a downdraft prior to touchdown.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 29, 1998 · about 10:30 pm local time
- Place
- Kotzebue, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 185 · all 185s on the register
- Registration
- N4761Q · registry record · serial 185-1226
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The first pilot, a certificated flight instructor, was providing flight instruction and recurrent training to the second pilot, a certificated commercial pilot. The first pilot said that two successful landings were accomplished on the same sand bar prior to the accident. On the last approach to the south, and while the second pilot was manipulating the controls, the airplane encountered a downdraft, and landed in a river just short of the intended touchdown point. The airplane came to rest upside down in about 3 feet of water. Both pilots reported that the wind at the time of the accident was about 180 degrees at 10 knots.
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: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,230 hours in all; 1,005 in this make and model; 89 in the last 90 days; 45 in the last 30 days; 2,192 as pilot in command; 15 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,488 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 28, 1998; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: OTZ Kotzebue AK at 4:00 pm
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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 N4761Q 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.