Cessna 185 accident near Brooks Range, Alaska, August 12, 2018
On August 12, 2018 at about 3:00 pm local time, a 1965 Cessna 185, registered N62882, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Brooks Range, Alaska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The airplane's encounter with downdraft conditions during takeoff, which resulted in a subsequent loss of altitude and collision with terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 12, 2018 · about 3:00 pm local time
- Place
- Brooks Range, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 185 D, built 1965 · all 185s on the register
- Registration
- N62882 · no longer on the register · serial 185-0784
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot in the tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that he took off from an off-airport unimproved, gravel surface. He recalled that the airplane climbed to about 300 ft before it encountered a "severe downdraft." The airplane subsequently descended and impacted a creek bed, and the main landing gear separated from the airframe. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the foremost fuselage bulkhead and stringers. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported that the wind at the accident site was from 230° at 25 knots, gusting to 30 knots and that he was landing to the southwest.
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
- Windshear or thunderstorm during takeoff defining event
- Miscellaneous/other during takeoff
- Part(s) separation from AC during takeoff
The NTSB's findings
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Downdraft › Effect on operation
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Climb rate › Attain/maintain not possible
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 9,087 hours in all; 550 in this make and model; 210 in the last 90 days; 65 in the last 30 days; 7,461 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 2, 2018
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot-Rated Passenger
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,162.4 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 15, 2017
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-470-F (piston); 1,427 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Wasilla AK
- Destination: Brooks Range AK
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 040° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 11,000 ft
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 29.79 inHg
- Observation at 2:56 pm from PAFM, 79 miles away
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 May 9, 2019. 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 | 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.
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.