Cessna A185F accident near Nenana, Alaska, November 23, 2013
On November 23, 2013 at about 6:15 pm local time, a 1978 Cessna A185F, registered N8310Q, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Nenana, Alaska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control of the airplane, which resulted in a collision with terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 23, 2013 · about 6:15 pm local time
- Place
- Nenana, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A185F, built 1978 · all A185Fs on the register
- Registration
- N8310Q · registry record · serial 18503650
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was landing a wheel/ski equipped airplane on a frozen, wind-blown, ice and snow-covered lake. He had established a landing area earlier in the day, by laying down ski tracks with a friends ski equipped airplane. Upon touchdown, the airplane did not slow as expected, and it began to veer off the proposed landing area. While attempting to correct for the veer, the right ski struck a hole hidden underneath the snow and ice, and the right main landing gear leg separated from the airplane. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing and aileron. The pilot reported no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
- Loss of control on ground during landing (landing roll) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surface › Snow/slush/ice covered › Awareness of condition
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 22,985 hours in all; 2,100 in this make and model; 14 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 12,337 as pilot in command; 1,330 on instruments
- Last flight review: July 24, 2013
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,914 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 28, 2012
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental Motors IO 520 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PAFA Fairbanks AK at 5:15 pm
- Destination: Nenana AK
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 75 statute miles
- Sky: overcast; ovct
- Temperature: 5°F (-15°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.73 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 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.
Other NTSB records under N8310Q the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.