Cessna A185F accident near Aniak, Alaska, March 19, 2011
On March 19, 2011 at about 10:30 pm local time, a Cessna A185F, registered N5182H, was substantially damaged in an accident during taxi near Aniak, Alaska (Aniak airport). 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The inadvertent contact with a rut in the snow while taxiing, resulting in the collapse of the right main landing gear.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 19, 2011 · about 10:30 pm local time
- Place
- Aniak, Alaska · Aniak · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A185F · all A185Fs on the register
- Registration
- N5182H · registry record · serial 18503326
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While the pilot was taxiing the ski-equipped airplane to the runway, he inadvertently hit a rut in the snow, and the right main landing gear collapsed. He stated that he was taxiing the airplane fast enough to keep the tail off the ground. He said that the right main landing gear failed at the fuselage attach point, and the right wing struck the ground resulting in substantial damage to the right wing and aileron.
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
What happened, in order
- Landing gear collapse during taxi defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Main landing gear attach sec › Failure
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › Sloped/uneven › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,700 hours in all; 1,700 in this make and model
- Last flight review: May 27, 2010
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor IO 520 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PANI Aniak AK
- Destination: Red Devil AK
- Flight plan: not recorded
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 9,500 ft; a few clouds at 6,500 ft
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:36 pm from PANI
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.