Cessna 185 accident near Baindoang, Png, Pg, December 30, 2009
On December 30, 2009 at about 6:18 am local time, a Cessna 185, registered P2MJL, was destroyed in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Baindoang, Png (Baindoang Airstrip airport). It was flown under non-U.S. commercial rules. 6 people were killed and 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 30, 2009 · about 6:18 am local time
- Place
- Baindoang, Png, Papua New Guinea · Baindoang Airstrip
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 6 people were killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 185 E · all 185s on the register
- Registration
- P2MJL · no longer on the register · serial 18501947
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight · non-U.S. commercial rules
The NTSB's narrative preliminary · quoted from the NTSB record
On December 30, 2009, about 0618 UTC (coordinated universal time), a Papua New Guinea (PNG) registered Cessna 185E, P2-MJL, made a forced emergency landing on mountainous terrain following a loss of oil pressure, about 1 nautical mile southwest of a remote airstrip in Baindoang, Morobe Province, PNG. The airplane was operated by Kiunga Aviation, Lae, PNG, as a domestic flight. The commercial certificated pilot was seriously injured, and the six passengers were killed. The airplane was destroyed in a post-crash fire. The airplane had departed the Lae Nadzab Airport, Lae, PNG, and was destined for Baindoang. The investigation is under the jurisdiction of the Government of Papua New Guinea. This report is for information purposes only. Further information pertaining to this accident may be obtained from: Department of Transport Air Transport Division Enga Haus 1, Ground Floor, 7 Mile P.O. Box 1489 Port Moresby, NCD Papua New Guinea Tel: +675-325-7500
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
- Loss of engine power (partial) during enroute (cruise) defining event
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot, foreign licence
- Flight time: 23,000 hours in all
- Last flight review: November 24, 2008
- Seat: unk
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 12,916 hours
- Last inspection: type not recorded, December 2, 2009
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Teledyne Continental Motors IO-520-F (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Kiunga Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: AYNZ Lae Nadzab Airp at 6:05 am
- Destination: Baindoang
- Flight plan: not recorded
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 6 |
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.