Cessna A185 accident near Talkeetna, Alaska, July 17, 2019
On July 17, 2019 at about 10:45 pm local time, a 1979 Cessna A185, registered N121EE, was substantially damaged in an accident during taxi (from runway) near Talkeetna, Alaska. It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 5 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 fracture of the right outboard landing gear bracket for undetermined reasons.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 17, 2019 · about 10:45 pm local time
- Place
- Talkeetna, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A185 F, built 1979 · all A185s 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 operator reported that, after an uneventful ski landing on a snow-covered glacier, the airplane taxied over some ruts and the pilot heard a "bang" on the right side of the airplane. After gliding to a stop, the pilot noticed the right wing was about 2 ft lower than normal. The pilot inspected the airplane and found that the right outboard landing gear bracket had fractured, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage. The outboard landing gear bracket was not made available to the NTSB for inspection; therefore, the reason for the bracket's failure could not be determined.
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 (from runway) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft structures › Fuselage › Gear attach fittings (on fus) › Failure
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 9,800 hours in all; 5,782 in this make and model; 145 in the last 90 days; 70 in the last 30 days; 9,265 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: September 30, 2018
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 12,729.4 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 4, 2019
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520 (piston); 5,158 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Talkeetna AK
- Destination: Talkeetna AK
- Flight plan: VFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 29.57 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 pm from PATK
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 4 |
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 ANC19LA049.