Cessna 185 accident near Anchorage, Alaska, October 20, 2020
On October 20, 2020 at about 10:15 pm local time, a 1968 Cessna 185, registered N850WB, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Anchorage, Alaska (Birchwood Airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot receiving instruction’s failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll, which resulted in a runway excursion onto soft terrain. Contributing to the accident was the flight instructor's inadequate supervision of the pilot while landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 20, 2020 · about 10:15 pm local time
- Place
- Anchorage, Alaska · Birchwood Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 185 E, built 1968 · all 185s on the register
- Registration
- N850WB · registry record · serial 185-1350
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot receiving instruction reported that he and the flight instructor were practicing takeoffs and landings in his airplane. On the second landing, during the landing roll, the airplane veered to the right and exited the runway onto soft terrain, and the airplane then spun abruptly to the right. The left wing and left elevator struck the ground, which resulted in substantial damage to the left wing, left aileron, left horizontal stabilizer, and left elevator. The pilot receiving instruction reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation and that the accident might have been prevented if he had reacted more quickly and prevented the airplane from departing the runway.
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 on ground during landing (landing roll) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Student/instructed pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring other person › Instructor/check pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › (general) › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 574 hours in all; 574 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 26, 2010
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,400 hours in all; 0 in this make and model; 1 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 2,000 as pilot in command; 100 on instruments
- Last flight review: October 13, 2020
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,600 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 1, 2020
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PALH Anchorage AK at 9:00 pm
- Destination: PALH Anchorage AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 02L, 4,010 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.42 inHg
- Observation at 1:56 pm from PABV
Weather report (METAR): PABV 202156Z AUTO 23004KT 10SM CLR 02/M02 A3042 RMK AO2 SLP309 T00221017 FZRANO
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
1 document, released by the NTSB on September 8, 2021. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.