Cessna A185E accident near Seattle, Washington, October 12, 2024
On October 12, 2024 at about 10:18 pm local time, a 1970 Cessna A185E, registered N185WK, was substantially damaged in an accident near Seattle, Washington (Boeing Field/King County Inter). 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).
Preview. This page is not yet listed for search engines.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during landing roll with a crosswind.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 12, 2024 · about 10:18 pm local time
- Place
- Seattle, Washington · Boeing Field/King County Inter · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A185E, built 1970 · all A185Es on the register
- Registration
- N185WK · registry record · serial 185-01832
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilots of the tailwheel-equipped airplane, the pilot/owner offered to let the second pilot land the airplane. During the landing, the airplane landed hard, bounced, and began to yaw to the right. Both pilots then applied control inputs to regain control of the airplane, however the airplane ground looped to the right. Subsequently, the airplane’s left main landing gear collapsed, and the left wing impacted the ground, resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage and left wing. At the time of the accident, the pilots were landing on runway 14L with wind from 240° at 5 knots. The pilots reported there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures 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
- 552230 during descent - emergency
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land, none, APLN, none
- Flight time: 842 hours in all; 0 in this make and model; 95 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days; 752 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 13, 2024
- Medical certificate: class 1
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land, single-engine land, single-engine sea, none, APLN, none
- Flight time: 677.8 hours in all; 82.3 in the last 90 days; 35.9 in the last 30 days; 595.5 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 7, 2024
- Medical certificate: class 2
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 3,525 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Intrepid Air LLC
- Operating certificate: in the vicinity
The flight
- Departed from: CYXX Abbotsford OF at 9:28 pm
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 14L, 3,709 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 66°C, dew point 46°C
- Altimeter: 30.08 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 pm from KBFI
Weather report (METAR): KBFI 122153Z 24005KT 10SM CLR 19/08 A3008 RMK AO2 SLP184 T01890083
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 2 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number WPR25LA014.