Cessna A185F accident near Fairbanks, Alaska, October 6, 2022
On October 6, 2022 at about 1:58 am local time, a 1978 Cessna A185F, registered N217C, was involved in an accident during taxi (into takeoff position) near Fairbanks, Alaska (Chena Marina airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The improperly maintained floats, which allowed water to fill the front compartments and resulted in the airplane nosing over during taxi. Contributing to the fatal injury of the pilot was the improperly secured cargo, which prevented the pilot from egressing the airplane following the nose-over.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 6, 2022 · about 1:58 am local time · cases in 2022
- Place
- Fairbanks, Alaska · Chena Marina · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A185F, built 1978 · all A185Fs on the register
- Registration
- N217C · no longer on the register · serial 18503558
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot of the float-equipped airplane was departing from a pond. He aborted the first attempt and was taxiing back to attempt a second takeoff. Witnesses saw the floats almost fully submerged under the water as the airplane taxied and stated that the pitch attitude of the airplane was unusually nose-low. The pilot reduced engine power and the airplane nosed over. The airplane was not damaged; however, several hundred pounds of unsecured cargo inside the airplane shifted during the nose-over and likely resulted in the pilot’s inability to egress and his subsequent drowning. During a postaccident examination, two unsealed holes were found under the float bumpers that would have allowed water to enter the front compartment of each float. It is likely that the front compartments in both floats filled with water and resulted in the nose-over during taxi.
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
- Nose over/nose down during taxi (into takeoff position) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Wheel/ski/float › Incorrect service/maintenance other cases naming the landing gear
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: unk
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,666.5 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 20, 2021
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor IO 520 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36W, 4,000 ft by 200 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.94 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from AFA, 1 miles away
Weather report (METAR): PAFA 060153Z 00000KT 10SM FEW100 SCT200 06/M01 A2994 RMK AO2 SLP146 T00611006
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 3 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
Photo 1 –Right side view of accident airplane at accident site after recovery to shoreline. Photo
Photo 2 – Left front underside view of the float on the accident airplane at accident site. Photo
Photo 3 – Right front underside view of the float on the accident airplane at accident site. PhotoThe NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
6 documents, released by the NTSB on October 5, 2023. 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 | Witness Statements | PDF, 4 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 2 | FAA Statement Memorandum | PDF, 6 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 3 | Wreckage Examination Summary | PDF, 11 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 4 | Medical Examiner Memoradum | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
| 5 | Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 | PDF, 2 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 6 | Investigative Photographs | PDF, 3 pages · our copy | View Download |
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N217C: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Cessna A185 Skywagon 1,372 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,682 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Cont Motor IO 520 SERIES 9,485 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Chena Marina Airport · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Alaska 5,932 since 1982 · 825 in the last ten years
- Alaska 9,142 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ANC23FA001.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.