# Accident 20150531008542A: Cessna 172F, Talkeetna, AK, May 31, 2015

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: May 31, 2015, 17:20 local time
- Place: Talkeetna, AK
- Damage: Destroyed
- Collision: Midair collision
- Phase of flight: Landing: Approach
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 62.3247° N, 150.0892° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=62.3247&lon=-150.0892&mi=10
- Aircraft: N8525U, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N8525U-2018-03-30) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cessna 172F (registry code 2072414, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-172f) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Continental 0-300 series (registry code 17022, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-0-300-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 172F
- Reported engine: CONT MOTOR 0-300 SER
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 1
- Pilot certificates: Student
- Pilot flight hours: 35 total, 3 in this make and model, 15 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ANC15LA033](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC15LA033) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20150531008542A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

ON MAY 31, 2015, ABOUT 1720 ALASKA DAYLIGHT TIME, A WHEEL/SKI EQUIPPED CESSNA 185 AIRPLANE, N1694M, AND TRICYCLE GEAR EQUIPPED CESSNA 172 AIRPLANE, N8525U, COLLIDED MIDAIR WHILE LANDING AT TALKEETNA AIRPORT, TALKEETNA, ALASKA. THE CESSNA 185 WAS REGISTERED TO AND OPERATED BY TALKEETNA AIR TAXI, INC., TALKEETNA, ALASKA AS A VISUAL FLIGHT RULES (VFR) ON-DEMAND COMMERCIAL AIR TOUR, UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF TITLE 14 CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATION (CFR) PART 135, WHEN THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED. THE COMMERCIAL PILOT AND THREE OF THE FOUR PASSENGERS SUSTAINED NO INJURIES, WITH THE FOURTH PASSENGER SUSTAINING MINOR INJURIES. THE CESSNA 172 WAS REGISTERED TO ARCTIC'S AIR ACADEMY, LLC AND OPERATED BY THE STUDENT PILOT AS A VFR CROSS-COUNTRY FLIGHT UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF TITLE 14 CFR PART 91. THE STUDENT PILOT AND SOLE OCCUPANT OF THE AIRPLANE SUSTAINED SERIOUS INJURIES. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED IN THE AREA AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. THE CESSNA 185 DEPARTED TALKEETNA AIRPORT ABOUT 1456 ADT FOR A NON-STOP FLIGHT SEEING TOUR AROUND DENALI NATIONAL PARK, AND A VFR FLIGHT PLAN WAS ON FILE. THE CESSNA 172 DEPARTED PALMER AIRPORT, PALMER, ALASKA, ABOUT 1625 ADT DESTINED FOR TALKEETNA AIRPORT WITH NO FLIGHT PLAN ON FILE.  PRIOR TO THE COLLISION BOTH AIRCRAFT HAD REPORTED THEIR RESPECTIVE POSITIONS INCLUDING BASE LEG.  THE 185 WAS INBOUND FROM THE NORTH WEST WHILE THE 172 WAS INBOUND FROM THE SOUTH.  EACH OF THE AIRCRAFT WERE TOGETHER IN THE PATTERN DURING BASE/FINAL.  THE TALKEETNA FLIGHT SERVICE STATION ATTENDANT WITNESSED THE 172 PULL UP INTO THE 185 WHILE IN FINAL, ROUGHLY 100' ABOVE GROUND.  AFTER THE COLLISION, BOTH AIRPLANES REMAINED JOINED TOGETHER DURING AND AFTER IMPACT WITH THE GROUND. THE DEBRIS FIELD WAS ABOUT 460 FEET LONG WITH THE INITIAL FRAGMENTS LOCATED ABOUT 62 FEET PRIOR TO THE RUNWAY THRESHOLD. THE MAIN WRECKAGE CAME TO REST ABOUT FIVE FEET OFF OF THE LEFT SIDE OF THE RUNWAY.

## Other aircraft in the event

- N1694M, Cessna A185E: [Accident 20150531008572A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20150531008572A)

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB ANC15LA033](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC15LA033), Jun 1, 2015: Cessna 172 (N8525U), Talkeetna, AK, substantial damage. Probable cause: The other pilot’s failure to maintain an adequate visual lookout, which resulted in a midair collision. Contributing to the accident was the other pilot’s failure to follow Federal Aviation…

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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