Cessna A185-F accident near Shageluk, Alaska, March 8, 1991
On March 8, 1991 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Cessna A185-F, registered N1855Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near Shageluk, Alaska. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 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 COLLAPSE OF THE LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR DURING THE LANDING ROLL DUE TO PREEXISTING CRACKS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 8, 1991 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Shageluk, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A185-F · all A185-Fs on the register
- Registration
- N1855Q · no longer on the register · serial 18503494
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT STATED THAT ABOUT 2 SECONDS AFTER HE TOUCHED DOWN WITH THE WHEEL/SKI EQUIPPED AIRPLANE, THE LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED AT THE UPPER ATTACHING POINT. EXAMINATION OF THE LEFT OUTBOARD LANDING GEAR SUPPORT (CESSNA PART NUMBER 0713495 64) FOUND THAT IT HAD FAILED DUE TO PREEXISTING CRACKS. THE OPERATOR REPORTED THAT MOST OF THE 4,520 HOURS ON THE AIRPLANE AND THE FAILED SUPPORT WERE ACCUMULATED WITH THE AIRPLANE OPERATING ON ROUGH TERRAIN WITH WHEEL/SKIS INSTALLED.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 9,000 hours in all; 580 in this make and model; 80 in the last 90 days; 35 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,520 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 26, 1992; 16 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE Iditarod AK at 6:00 pm
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 7,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 10°F (-12°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.