Cessna 185McKinley Air Service
Talkeetna, AK, USA · 2003-05-28·N70176
What happened
NTSB summary, verbatimThe airline transport pilot was conducting an on-demand charter flight in a wheel/ski-equipped airplane, with three passengers and climbing gear aboard. The flight was en route to a mountain climbing base camp located on a glacier, at the 7,200-foot msl level. A passing airplane discovered the accident airplane's wreckage at the 8,200-foot level of a remote mountain pass, along the anticipated flight route. The summit of the pass is situated about 9,000 feet msl, and oriented about east/west. The flight's anticipated direction of travel to the base camp was westbound. The airplane wreckage came to rest atop snow-covered glacial terrain, within a large "U" shaped, up-sloping valley, about 500 east of the pass summit. The nose of the airplane was oriented in the opposite direction of the flight's anticipated direction of travel. The airplane struck the snow-covered terrain in a near horizontal position, wings level, and about 5 degrees nose down. The NTSB investigator-in-charge documented all passenger, pilot, and cargo positions. After recovery, actual occupant and climbing gear/cargo weights were documented. The gross weight of the airplane at the time of the accident was estimated to be 20 pounds over the airplane's maximum gross weight limit of 3,350. Since there are no center of gravity (CG) limits for weights over maximum gross weight, the estimated CG of the airplane at the time of the accident, 154.1 inches, was compared to the limits at maximum gross weight, 140 to 156 inches, and found to be near the aft limit. No evidence of any preaccident mechanical anomalies was noted. The engine was placed on an engine test stand, started, and operated at various power settings, for an extended time. The engine produced its maximum rated rpm.
Probable cause
the Board's determinationThe pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed which resulted in an inadvertent stall, an uncontrolled descent and in-flight collision with terrain. A factor associated with the accident was rising terrain.
NTSB analysis
from the final reportThe airline transport pilot was conducting an on-demand charter flight in a wheel/ski-equipped airplane, with three passengers and climbing gear aboard. The flight was en route to a mountain climbing base camp located on a glacier, at the 7,200-foot msl level. A passing airplane discovered the accident airplane's wreckage at the 8,200-foot level of a remote mountain pass, along the anticipated flight route. The summit of the pass is situated about 9,000 feet msl, and oriented about east/west. The flight's anticipated direction of travel to the base camp was westbound. The airplane wreckage came to rest atop snow-covered glacial terrain, within a large "U" shaped, up-sloping valley, about 500 east of the pass summit. The nose of the airplane was oriented in the opposite direction of the flight's anticipated direction of travel. The airplane struck the snow-covered terrain in a near horizontal position, wings level, and about 5 degrees nose down. The NTSB investigator-in-charge documented all passenger, pilot, and cargo positions. After recovery, actual occupant and climbing gear/cargo weights were documented. The gross weight of the airplane at the time of the accident was estimated to be 20 pounds over the airplane's maximum gross weight limit of 3,350. Since there are no center of gravity (CG) limits for weights over maximum gross weight, the estimated CG of the airplane at the time of the accident, 154.1 inches, was compared to the limits at maximum gross weight, 140 to 156 inches, and found to be near the aft limit. No evidence of any preaccident mechanical anomalies was noted. The engine was placed on an engine test stand, started, and operated at various power settings, for an extended time. The engine produced its maximum rated rpm.