Cessna A185F accident near Aniak, Alaska, April 24, 2026
On April 24, 2026 at about 6:45 pm local time, a 1975 Cessna A185F, registered N92DC, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Aniak, Alaska (Aniak airport). It was a business 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 NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 12, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 24, 2026 · about 6:45 pm local time · cases in 2026
- Place
- Aniak, Alaska · Aniak · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A185F, built 1975 · all A185Fs on the register
- Registration
- N92DC · registry record · serial 18502828
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative preliminary · quoted from the NTSB record
On April 24, 2026, about 1045 Alaska daylight time, a wheel/ski-equipped Cessna 185 airplane, N92DC, was substantially damaged in an accident at Aniak Airport (ANI), Aniak, Alaska. The pilot and one passenger were not injured. The flight was being operated as a business flight under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. According to the pilot, the airplane was departing from a rough, uneven, snow and tundra-covered site when, just before becoming airborne, the left wheel/ski assembly separated from the main landing gear (MLG) leg. Although the assembly detached from the gear leg, it remained connected to the airplane by the wheel/ski cable system. After confirming that the airplane remained controllable, the pilot elected to continue to Aniak Airport and perform an emergency landing where emergency response personnel and resources were available. While en route, he maintained a very low airspeed to prevent the dangling wheel/ski assembly from striking the wing lift strut. During the emergency landing at Aniak Airport, the left MLG leg contacted the gravel-covered runway, causing the airplane to pitch forward abruptly and overturn. The airplane came to rest inverted and sustained substantial damage to the wings, fuselage, and empennage. See figure 1. Figure 1. Accident airplane following emergency landing. (Aniak Airport Operations Photo) On July 8, after the airplane wreckage was recovered to Wasilla, Alaska, a portion of the fractured spring-steel MLG leg was harvested from the wreckage and sent to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Materials Laboratory in Washington, D.C., for examination. The results of that examination are pending.
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 defining event
The aircraft
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
The flight
- Departed from: N/A Remote Strip AK at 3:30 pm
- Runway 11, 6,200 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.82 inHg
- Observation at 10:00 am from PANI
Weather report (METAR): METAR PANI 241756Z AUTO 14012KT 10SM BKN050 04/01 A2982 RMK AO2 SLP099 60001 T00390006 10039 20011 51012 $
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The NTSB has not released the docket for this case yet. The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), is usually released when the investigation is nearly complete, and the list here is refreshed when it appears. Check at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N92DC the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N92DC on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna A185 Skywagon 1,372 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,683 aircraft on the register
- Aniak Airport · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Alaska 5,930 since 1982 · 824 in the last ten years
- Alaska 9,145 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N92DC 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ANC26LA032.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.