Cessna 185 accident near Skwentna, Alaska, June 13, 2004
On June 13, 2004 at about 4:00 pm local time, a Cessna 185, registered N185AV, was substantially damaged in an accident near Skwentna, Alaska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate compensation for wind conditions and his inadequate flare while landing, which resulted in a hard landing and collapse of the main landing gear. Factors associated with the accident were a downdraft, and rough and uneven terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 13, 2004 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- Skwentna, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 185 · all 185s on the register
- Registration
- N185AV · registry record · serial 18503351
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial certificated pilot was landing on a rough and uneven gravel-covered airstrip. He said that during the landing flare, he encountered a slight downdraft, and the airplane touched down harder than anticipated. After touchdown, the left main landing gear collapsed, followed by the collapse of the right main landing gear. Following the landing gear collapse, the fuselage struck the surface of the gravel-covered site, and sustained structural damage to the left elevator, left wing, and fuselage. The pilot said that there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies noted with the airplane.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,516 hours in all; 1,840 in this make and model; 147 in the last 90 days; 79 in the last 30 days; 3,391 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 8, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,458 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 28, 2004; 54 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming TIO-540-J2BD (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MRL Anchorage AK at 10:15 am
- Destination: SKW Skwentna AK
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 360° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ANC04LA068.