Cessna 210 accident near Northway, Alaska, August 19, 1985
On August 19, 1985 at about 8:24 pm local time, a Cessna 210, registered CFTFS, was substantially damaged in an accident near Northway, Alaska (Northway airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 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 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 19, 1985 · about 8:24 pm local time
- Place
- Northway, Alaska · Northway · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 210 · all 210s on the register
- Registration
- CFTFS · no longer on the register · serial 57176
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE RIGHT MAIN GEAR COLLAPSED DURING LANDING. POST ACCIDENT EXAMINATION OF THE LANDING GEAR DISCLOSED THE REAR DOOR ACTUATOR ROD FAILED AND THE GEAR DOOR WAS BENT. THE RIGHT HAND MAIN GEAR DOWNLOCK FAILED IN AN AREA WHICH APPEARED TO HAVE BEEN PREVIOUSLY WELDED.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,000 hours in all; 1,000 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,195 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, September 15, 1984; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental O-470-3 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 6K8 Tok AK
- Destination: ORT Northway AK
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 22, 5,130 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,000 ft; not recorded at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:12 pm from ORT, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.
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.