Cessna A185F accident near Talkeetna, Alaska, November 23, 2011
On November 23, 2011 at about 5:30 pm local time, a Cessna A185F, registered N121EE, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Talkeetna, Alaska. It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 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
A broken wheel/ski clevis pin, which allowed the ski to pivot upward and strike the right wing lift strut.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 23, 2011 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- Talkeetna, Alaska · 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
- N121EE · registry record · serial 18503765
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that, after departing from a snow-covered glacier in a wheel/ski-equipped airplane, he retracted the skis in preparation for landing on a paved runway. During the retraction, the right wheel/ski pivoted up, striking the airplane's right wing lift strut, which sustained substantial damage. Postaccident examination revealed that the ski's right rear clevis pin had broken, which allowed the ski to pivot upward. Other than the broken clevis pin, there were no preaccident mechanical problems 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
What happened, in order
- Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power) during enroute defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Wheel/ski/float › Failure
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 12,400 hours in all; 8,000 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 12,300 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10,061 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 24, 2011; 50 hours since
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor IO 520 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Sheldon Air Service
The flight
- Departed from: Talkeetna AK at 5:15 pm
- Destination: PATK Talkeetna AK
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 10 knots, gusting 10
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 16°F (-9°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 4:53 pm from PATK, 4 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Other NTSB records under N121EE the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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 docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. 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 ANC12CA010.