Cessna 185E accident near Anchorage, Alaska, June 20, 1998
On June 20, 1998 at about 3:14 am local time, a Cessna 185E, registered N85CF, was substantially damaged in an accident near Anchorage, Alaska (Merrill Field). 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The rotation/slippage of the right main tire on the wheel rim, resulting in shearing of the tire tube valve stem, and subsequent tire deflation. Factors in the accident were oversize, tundra tires operated on a dry, asphalt runway surface.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 20, 1998 · about 3:14 am local time
- Place
- Anchorage, Alaska · Merrill Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 185E · all 185Es on the register
- Registration
- N85CF · registry record · serial 18501904
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was landing a tail wheel equipped airplane on a dry, asphalt runway. The airplane had 24 inch tundra tires installed. The oversize tires utilize a large wheel rim adapter attached to the normal wheel rim. During the landing roll, the right tire deflated. The airplane veered to the right, and the right wing tip struck the runway. The airplane began to ground loop, and the pilot applied the brakes. The airplane nosed down, coming to rest in a near vertical attitude. An inspection of the wheel revealed the right main tire tube valve stem was broken. The wheel adapter rim displayed scuffing on the outboard half of the wheel. The main wheel half was not damaged.
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; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 6,067 hours in all; 2,000 in this make and model; 125 in the last 90 days; 19 in the last 30 days; 6,067 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,986 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection; 17 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TKA Talkeetna AK at 9:45 pm
- Destination: MRI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 15, 2,640 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 8,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:20 pm from MRI
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
Other NTSB records under N85CF the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.