Cessna A185F accident near Wrangell, Alaska, August 12, 1990
On August 12, 1990 at about 5:30 pm local time, a Cessna A185F, registered N5317R, was destroyed in an accident near Wrangell, Alaska. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT DID NOT MAINTAIN AN ADEQUATE AIRSPEED. THE PILOT'S LACK OF RECENT EXPERIENCE IN THE CESSNA 185 WAS A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 12, 1990 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- Wrangell, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A185F · all A185Fs on the register
- Registration
- N5317R · registry record · serial 18503031
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PURPOSE OF THE FLIGHT WAS FOR THE PASSENGER TO MAP THE COAST LINE. PRIOR TO THE FLIGHT, THE PILOT AND PASSENGER AGREED THAT THE FLIGHT WAS TO BE FLOWN AT 400 FT AGL AND AT 75 MPH. DURING FLIGHT, THE PASSENGER MISSED AN AREA AND WANTED THE PILOT TO TURN AROUND. THE PILOT ACKNOWLEDGED AND BEGAN AN APPROXIMATE 15 DEGREE TURN TO THE LEFT TOWARD THE TERRAIN. THE PASSENGER REPORTED THAT AT THE BEGINNING OF THE TURN, THE PILOT DID NOT APPLY POWER. WHILE IN BETWEEN TWO SMALL HILLS, THE PASSENGER FELT LIGHT TURBULENCE THEN SUDDENLY THE RIGHT WING RAISED AND THE NOSE FELL TOWARD THE GROUND. THE PILOT AT THIS POINT APPLIED FULL POWER. THE AIRPLANE CONTINUED IN A LEFT DESCENDING TURN AND COLLIDED INTO THE WATER JUST OFF SHORE. THERE WERE NO MECHANICAL FAILURES OR MALFUNCTIONS NOTED WITH THE AIRPLANE DURING THE POST CRASH INVESTIGATION. DURING THE LAST 90 DAYS THE PILOT LOGGED A TOTAL OF 279 HOURS, ALL IN FLOATPLANES. THREE OF THOSE HOURS WERE IN THE CESSNA 185.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,077 hours in all; 15 in this make and model; 279 in the last 90 days; 94 in the last 30 days; 2,931 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,838 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, July 25, 1990; 60 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,320 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Temsco Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: PSG Petersburg AK at 11:55 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
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.