Cessna 182 accident near Skwentna, Alaska, October 28, 2017
On October 28, 2017 at about 6:00 pm local time, a 1967 Cessna 182, registered N2661Q, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Skwentna, Alaska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s decision to land on an unimproved snow-covered airstrip, which resulted in the airplane coming to rest inverted.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 28, 2017 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Skwentna, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182 K, built 1967 · all 182s on the register
- Registration
- N2661Q · registry record · serial 18257861
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that, while landing on an unimproved snow-covered airstrip, he touched down in a configuration on the main landing gear "for a soft field landing." He added that, about 10 to 15 mph, he allowed the nosewheel to settle in the snow. Subsequently, the nosewheel broke through the crusted layer of snow, and the airplane "lurched" forward coming to rest inverted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions 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
- Miscellaneous/other during landing
- Nose over/nose down during landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surface › Snow/slush/ice covered surface › Ability to respond/compensate
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surface › Snow/slush/ice covered surface › Effect on equipment
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 763 hours in all; 570 in this make and model; 42 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 691 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 21, 2016
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,567.0 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 11, 2017
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor O-520 SERIES (piston); 724 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 4AK6 Palmer AK
- Destination: Skwentna AK
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,300 ft
- Temperature: 34°F (1°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.30 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from PATK, 41 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 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.
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.