Cessna A185 accident near Lime Village, Alaska, August 30, 2020
On August 30, 2020 at about 9:30 pm local time, a 1978 Cessna A185, registered N107L, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Lime Village, Alaska. It was a business flight under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s loss of control during the landing flare, which resulted in an impact with trees.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 30, 2020 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Lime Village, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A185 F, built 1978 · all A185s on the register
- Registration
- N107L · registry record · serial 18503535
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that during the landing flare, with a left quartering crosswind, the airplane drifted to the left. He attempted to correct the drift, however, the left wing impacted trees located parallel to the runway. Subsequently, the airplane spun to the left and came to rest nosed down in the trees. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and left wing. The pilot reported no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported that he was landing on a heading of about 270° and that the wind was from 240° at about 20 MPH.
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
- Loss of control in flight during landing defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
- Nose over/nose down during landing
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Heading/course › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Tree(s) › Effect on operation
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Crosswind › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 17,464 hours in all; 1,838 in this make and model; 124 in the last 90 days; 111 in the last 30 days; 17,464 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: November 22, 2019
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,440.1 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 1, 2020
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D11B (piston); 735 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SRV Stoney River AK at 9:20 pm
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 7,500 ft; clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.14 inHg
- Observation at 1:56 pm from PASL, 32 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.
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 ANC20CA091.