Cessna 185 accident near Petersburg, AK
On September 14, 1995, a Cessna 185 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Petersburg, AK. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- September 14, 1995
- Place
- Petersburg, AK
- Aircraft
- Cessna 185 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 57.049°N, 132.620°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001207X04397
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On September 14, 1995, approximately 1400 Alaska daylight time, a float equipped Cessna 185 airplane, N90033, registered to and operated by the pilot, crashed on a small, unnamed glacier near Baird Glacier, located 23 miles northwest of Petersburg, Alaska. The pilot, also an Air Taxi operator, was between air taxi flights and was attempting to move his own and his hunting partner's gear to a hunting site near Farragut Lake. Farragut Lake, the intended destination, is located approximately 6 miles northwest of the accident site. The personal flight was operating under 14 CFR Part 91 and departed Petersburg approximately 1300. No flight plan was filed and visual meteorological conditions prevailed throughout the area. According to search and rescue personnel, they saw many areas of patchy fog and obscured mountain tops during the search. The commercial certificated pilot and the passenger were fatally injured, and the airplane was destroyed. WITNESSES There are no known witnesses to the accident. INJURIES TO PERSONS Both occupants of the airplane received fatal injuries. DAMAGE TO AIRCRAFT The airplane's cockpit and cabin was destroyed by impact forces. The engine and propeller were pushed into the instrument panel and cockpit area. The cabin doors were separated from the airplane and the door frames were unrecognizable. The cabin/fuselage was crushed rearward and distorted as far back as the rear cabin passenger window. Both wings remained in their proximate correct position, but the cabin structure, where they normally attach, was cut away by rescue person
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain sufficient airspeed above the airplane's stall speed. The high terrain and low ceiling (clouds) were related factors.
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Browse: Alaska · Cessna aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
