- Date
- July 23, 1997, 14:00 local (22:00 UTC)
- Place
- Talkeetna, AK
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N9855XCessna 185
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 10, 1998
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19970723019519A
- Case key
- 3033
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilots failure to maintain terrain clearance during the downslope, downwind, high altitude, takeoff. Factors were the snow and lighting conditions, and the tailwind takeoff.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The pilot made a steep downslope, downwind, departure from a 1,000-foot-long packed snow strip at 9,500 feet msl. The departure path was down a steep canyon. The lighting was flat, with no contrast available to see the snow covered terrain. The airplane impacted rising terrain shortly after takeoff.
Factual narrative
On July 23, 1997, at 1400 Alaska daylight time, a Cessna 185 ski equipped airplane, N9855X, sustained substantial damage when it impacted terrain during takeoff from the 9,500 foot msl level of the Kahiltna Glacier, Alaska, at position 63-03.4 north latitude, 151-11.0 west longitude. The commercial certificated pilot and three passengers were uninjured. The airplane was operated by Hudson Air Service, Inc., of Talkeetna, Alaska. The flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 135 in visual meteorological conditions, as an on demand air taxi. A company VFR flight plan was filed.
The pilot stated that he departed downhill from the 1,000 foot long by 50 foot wide snow strip, with a 10-15 knot down-glacier wind. The pilot said that just after becoming airborne, the airplane contacted rising terrain on the canyon side, and came to rest at 8,400 feet msl. He described the lighting conditions as "flat," and as he was unable to distinguish the ground's snowy surface, he was using the surrounding ridges for visual reference.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9855X
- Reported as
- Cessna 185
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1850055
- Airframe hours
- 10,050
- Engine
- Continental IO-520-D, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Hudson Air Service, Inc., doing business as Hudson Air Service, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Cliff L. Hudson
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- AAIP · July 22, 1997 · 1 hours before
- Departed
- Kahiltna Glacer, AK
- Destination
- TKA · AK
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
- Airport
- Kahiltna Glacier Strip
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 50
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 3,450 total · 955 in this make and model · 3,420 as pilot in command · 60 in the last 90 days · 50 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 330° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Temperature
- 25 °F, dew point 21 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N9855X · 3
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.