Cessna 185 accident near Fairbanks, Alaska, September 22, 2016
On September 22, 2016 at about 1:45 am local time, a 1964 Cessna 185, registered N5892T, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Fairbanks, Alaska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to recognize he was taking off with a tailwind and his inadequate compensation for taking off with a tailwind, which led to the airplane’s failure to attain a climb and a subsequent forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 22, 2016 · about 1:45 am local time
- Place
- Fairbanks, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 185 D, built 1964 · all 185s on the register
- Registration
- N5892T · registry record · serial 185-0792
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane, he and his passenger waited most of the day for the 30-knot wind to subside before departing the 1,200-ft-long dirt and grass airstrip. He reported that the wind velocity had decreased to 10 knots and that he had calculated that, with the 10-knot headwind, the airplane would rotate about 700 ft down the runway. The pilot monitored the wind via ribbons placed at various locations around the airstrip. During takeoff, the airplane rotated about 700 ft down the runway and climbed to about 8 ft above the ground. The pilot stated that it "then it felt like we lost our lift." The pilot recalled that there wasn't enough runway remaining to land and that there was a brush-covered bank at the departure end of the runway. The airplane started to settle to the ground, and although operating at full power and on the cusp of a stall, they cleared the bank. Beyond the bank, the pilot landed the airplane on a short sand bar, but the airplane overran the sand bar and impacted several large rocks. After exiting the airplane, the pilot noticed that he had departed with an 8- to 10-knot tailwind. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left-wing strut, the aileron, the horizontal stabilizer and the elevator. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies with the airframe or engine that would have prevented normal operation.
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
What happened, in order
- Other weather encounter during takeoff
- Loss of lift during takeoff defining event
- Attempted remediation/recovery during initial climb
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
- Off-field or emergency landing during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Identification/recognition › Pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Tailwind › Effect on equipment
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Tailwind › Response/compensation
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Climb rate › Not attained/maintained
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Debris/dirt/foreign object › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,064 hours in all; 44 in this make and model; 295 in the last 90 days; 56 in the last 30 days; 2,779.1 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 15, 2016
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (waiver time limited special)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
Passenger
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,916.3 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 4, 2016
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-470F (piston); 4,062 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PVT Delta Junction AK
- Destination: PVT Delta Junction AK
- Flight plan: VFR
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on March 22, 2017. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photo (Courtesy of FAA) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N5892T 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.