Cessna A185F accident near Talkeetna, Alaska, March 8, 2013
On March 8, 2013 at about 5:30 pm local time, a Cessna A185F, registered N185FK, was substantially damaged in an accident during taxi near Talkeetna, Alaska. It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
Preview. This page is not yet listed for search engines.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The overstress fracture and failure of the right wheel/ski arm while taxiing in snow and water-overflow terrain conditions, which resulted in a noseover.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 8, 2013 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- Talkeetna, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A185F · all A185Fs on the register
- Registration
- N185FK · registry record · serial 18502513
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot and three passengers were on an air tour flight in a wheel/ski-equipped airplane. The pilot reported that, after landing on a frozen, snow-covered lake and while taxiing, he felt the weight of the airplane transfer to the right wheel/ski as he initiated a left turn. He stated that, during the turn, the airplane’s wheel/skis began to sink into the soft snow and that the airplane subsequently nosed over, sustaining substantial damage to the wings, rudder, and vertical stabilizer. After the accident, the pilot reported seeing water overflow in the ski tracks of the airplane, which can rapidly decelerate the airplane during taxi. A postaccident examination revealed that the ski arm assembly on the right wheel/ski had separated at the weld area. Magnified optical examination of the fracture surfaces revealed features consistent with overstress separations of the welds. No indication of preexisting cracking, such as fatigue or corrosion, was noted.
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 taxi defining event
- Nose over/nose down during taxi
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Wheel/ski/float › Failure
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surfa › Snow/slush/ice covered › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 11,850 hours in all; 6,900 in this make and model; 77 in the last 90 days; 28 in the last 30 days; 11,850 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 30, 2012
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 11,283 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, November 8, 2012
- Maximum gross weight: 3,525 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor IO 550 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Talkeetna Air Taxi INC
The flight
- Departed from: PATK Talkeetna AK at 4:30 pm
- Destination: Talkeetna AK
- Flight plan: not recorded
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 5,500 ft
- Temperature: 37°F (3°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
- Altimeter: 29.62 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from PATK, 42 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N185FK 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 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 ANC13LA032.