Cessna A185E accident near Healy, AK
On October 14, 2009, a Cessna A185E (airplane) was involved in an accident near Healy, AK. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- October 14, 2009
- Place
- Healy, AK
- Aircraft
- Cessna A185E · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 1 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 63.619°N, 149.901°W
- NTSB ID
- 20091015X10841
Official records · ANC10FA004
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On October 14, 2009, about 1430 Alaska daylight time, a Cessna A185E airplane, N2764J, received substantial damage when it impacted trees and terrain, about 28 miles west of Healy, Alaska. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91. The commercial pilot was seriously injured, and his passenger was killed. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local aerial photography/animal survey flight, which originated from the Denali Airport, McKinley Park, Alaska, about 1215. A friend of the pilot called the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) the evening of October 14 after becoming concerned that the flight had not returned to the airport at the expected time. The flight was officially reported overdue to the FAA on October 15, at 0045. On the morning of October 15, search personnel from the Civil Air Patrol, Alaska State Troopers, and Alaska Air National Guard were dispatched to search along the pilot’s reported route of flight. There was no emergency locator transmitter (ELT) signal from the airplane. The incinerated wreckage was located on October 15, about 1500, in an area of mountainous, tree-covered terrain by airborne searchers. In a written statement and during subsequent interviews with the Safety Board investigator-in-charge (IIC), the pilot reported that after departure, he proceeded in a west-southwest circuit from the airport to conduct a local aerial observation flight in order to track wolves throughout the Denali Natio
Probable cause
The pilot's decision to maneuver at a low altitude over rising terrain in conditions conducive to turbulence/downdrafts, resulting in a loss of control and impact with terrain.
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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.
