Cessna A185F accident near Skwentna, Alaska, March 5, 2021
On March 5, 2021, a 1974 Cessna A185F, registered N1848R, was substantially damaged in an accident during initial climb near Skwentna, Alaska (Trinity Lake airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 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
Installation of improper hardware on the ski check cable. Contributing to the accident was the inadequate inspection of the ski yokes, which resulted in the subsequent failure of the right main landing gear ski yoke and collapse of the right main landing gear during the precautionary landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 5, 2021
- Place
- Skwentna, Alaska · Trinity Lake · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A185F, built 1974 · all A185Fs on the register
- Registration
- N1848R · registry record · serial 18502563
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After takeoff from the remote frozen snow-covered lake, with the hydraulic-wheel-ski-equipped airplane, the unapproved retainer clip that the pilot had installed holding the right rear ski check cable disconnected for undetermined reasons. Subsequently, the right rear check cable “came loose” from the fuselage attach fitting and the right ski rotated to a nose-high position. The pilot was able to maintain control of the airplane; however, a “very serious” vibration was noted in the right horizontal stabilizer, and he chose to return to the departure lake to make a precautionary landing. The pilot landed on untracked snow and as the ski was coming down “into its normal landing position,” the airplane veered hard to the right. The right main landing gear separated from the fuselage and the right wing impacted the snow. The fuselage sustained substantial damage. There was a service bulletin (SB) published for the inspection and replacement of the ski yoke. The pilot reported that both he and his mechanic were unaware of the SB and that it had not been complied with. Compliance with information in the SB was not mandated by the Federal Aviation Administration. The weld applied to the yoke joints failed due to lack of penetration of the weld metal into the base metal of the joints. The failure was a known issue and thus the accident could have been prevented by either continuous inspections of the welds, installation of the finger strap repair, or replacement of the yoke.
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
- Landing gear collapse during landing
- Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power) during initial climb defining event
- Attempted remediation/recovery during maneuvering (low-alt flying)
- Aircraft inspection event during prior to flight
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Misc hardware › Fasteners › Incorrect use/operation
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Inspection › Scheduled/routine inspection › Maintenance personnel
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Inspection › Scheduled/routine inspection › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Wheel/ski/float › Not inspected
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Wheel/ski/float › Failure
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: glider; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 20,000 hours in all; 1,900 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 15,000 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 14, 2019
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,375 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 18, 2021
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Cont Motor IO 520 D (piston); 1,500 hours total
The flight
- Destination: 4AK6 Wasilla AK
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Temperature: 28°F (-2°C), dew point 12°F (-11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.74 inHg
- Observation at 2:56 pm from PAWS, 55 miles away
Weather report (METAR): PAWS 042356Z AUTO 29003KT 10SM CLR M02/M11 A2974 RMK AO2 SLP081 T10171111 10000 21183 56012 FZRANO
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.
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 ANC21LA022.