Cessna 185 accident near Skwentna, Alaska, December 23, 2007
On December 23, 2007 at about 6:35 pm local time, a Cessna 185, registered N572E, 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 selection of unsuitable terrain for taxi. Contributing to the accident were rough and uneven terrain, and an excessive taxispeed.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made September 29, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 23, 2007 · about 6:35 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
- N572E · registry record · serial 18502089
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot of a wheel/ski-equipped airplane said that after landing on a frozen lake and while taxiing to parking, the airplane's right wheel/ski struck an area of crusty, ice-covered snow, and the right main landing gear collapsed. The pilot said that the airplane subsequently nosed over, and sustained substantial damage to the wings and vertical stabilizer. The pilot said that there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane, and noted that his excessive taxi speed may have contributed to the landing gear collapse.
The NTSB's narratives can run to many pages; this is the opening. Read the full report at the NTSB.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database and is rewritten in plain English only where the NTSB used codes; the probable cause and narrative are the NTSB's own words. This site 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 ANC08LA029.