NTSB CAROL · Event
Event ANC89FA049
Registry · N1292F
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
CESSNA A185F
Year of manufacture
1975 · 14 years old at event
Engine
CONT MOTOR IO 520 SERIES (285 hp)
Seats / Engines
6 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19950831
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A077C5
Registrant of record
RUSTAIR INC
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO OBTAIN AN ADEQUATE AIRSPEED, THE TURN TO REVERSE COURSE MANEUVER PERFORMED AT THE REDUCED AIRSPEED AND POOR PREFLIGHT PLANNING. CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WERE THE MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN AND THE DOWNDRAFT CONDITIONS.
Factual narrative
IMMEDIATELY AFTER TAKEOFF, THE PILOT BECAME UNSURE OF CLEARING THE MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN. A 180 DEG TURN WAS INITIATED DURING WHICH THE PILOT ENCOUNTERED A STRONG DOWNDRAFT. PASSENGERS AND WITNESSES STATED THAT THE AIRPLANE MAINTAINED AN UNUSUAL NOSE-HIGH ATTITUDE AND LOW AIRSPEED FROM LIFT-OFF TO JUST BEFORE IMPACT. THE PILOT HAD TAKEN OFF FROM A ROUGH AREA ON THE FROZEN LAKE, DIFFERENT FROM THE USUAL TAKEOFF AREA. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_1989_ANC89FA049.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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