Overall Trends
Total, fatal, and serious accidents in the selected range.
Search investigations, review source evidence, monitor watched reports, and trace long-term patterns from one calm, data-first workspace.
Fast key and full-text search with live filters, watches, and precise metadata.
Use quotes for exact phrase matches (for example "fuel selector valve").
Track fatal and non-fatal accident patterns across Part 91, Part 135, and Part 121 operations.
Major cases, deep-report coverage, and investigation media across decades of NTSB history.
Move quickly by aircraft, airport, operator, and time with indexes built for research, not wandering.
NTSB Reports is an independent research and search tool for public aviation accident and incident records. It brings NTSB aviation reports, structured fields, docket files, extracted figures, photos, videos, and update history into one searchable interface.
The goal is practical safety education: make it faster to find relevant investigations, compare similar events, review factual records, and understand the evidence behind probable-cause and preliminary reports.
The investigative work and source records belong to the National Transportation Safety Board and the published investigation record. This site is not affiliated with or endorsed by the NTSB.
Kotzebue, AK
The pilot landing the tundra tire equipped airplane on a 600 feet long x 75 feet wide gravel landing area. The pilot stated that the off-airport site was too short to stop, so he attempted to ground loop to the left to avoid running off the end into a drop off. The right wing and right stabilizer contacted the ground.
The pilot's selection of an unsuitable landing area. A factor was the short length of the off-airport site.
On August 30, 1997, at 1950 Alaska daylight time, a tundra tire equipped Cessna 185F airplane, N93276, was substantially damaged when its right wing and right horizontal stabilizer contacted terrain at the end of an off-airport landing site, 28 miles northeast of Kotzebue, Alaska, at position 67-35 degrees north latitude, 161-47 west longitude. The commercial certificated pilot and one passenger were uninjured. The airplane was operated by Mavrik Aire of Soldotna, Alaska. The flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91 as a business flight preparing camps for the upcoming hunting season. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and a flight plan was filed with a local lodge owner. During an interview with the NTSB investigator, the pilot stated that he and an employee were landing at the 600 feet long x 75 feet wide site, in calm winds, and were not able to stop before reaching the end. The terrain steeply dropped off at the end of the landing area. The pilot attempted to ground loop the airplane to the left, the airplane tipped up on the right wing, and the right wing and right horizontal stabilizer struck the ground.