Cessna 185 accident near Anchorage, Alaska, June 24, 2024
On June 24, 2024 at about 2:30 am local time, a 1967 Cessna 185, registered N748WP, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Anchorage, Alaska (Birchwood airport). It was a personal 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during landing in gusting crosswind conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 24, 2024 · about 2:30 am local time
- Place
- Anchorage, Alaska · Birchwood · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 185, built 1967 · all 185s on the register
- Registration
- N748WP · registry record · serial 185-1207
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was performing touch-and-go landings, and he reported that the wind at the time was relatively calm. While on downwind on his fourth touch-and-go, the pilot felt turbulence and decided this would be his last landing. The landing was normal, the touchdown was smooth, the throttle was closed, and the airplane was decelerating through 40-45 mph when a gust of wind from the left caused the right wing to lift and the airplane began to veer to the left. The pilot attempted to correct with opposite aileron and rudder; however, the airplane departed the runway into the grass which resulted in substantial damage to the right wing. The pilot reported no pre-impact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Dragged wing/rotor/float/other during landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Crosswind › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot, military, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 14,727 hours in all; 61 in this make and model; 65 in the last 90 days; 35.8 in the last 30 days; 6,300 as pilot in command; 500 on instruments
- Last flight review: October 20, 2023
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,572 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 28, 2024; 7.2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,525 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 3,544 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 20R, 4,012 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.73 inHg
- Observation at 5:56 pm from PABV
Weather report (METAR): PABV 240156Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM CLR 24/11 A2973 RMK AO2 SLP072 T02440106
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
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 ANC24LA059.