# NTSB ANC01LA088: Cessna 185, N2248T, Cantwell, AK, July 7, 2001 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: July 7, 2001, 15:30 local (23:30 UTC) - Place: Cantwell, AK - Coordinates: 63.366664, -148.833328 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=63.3667&lon=-148.8333&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report February 20, 2002 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB office: Alaska Regional Office - Parties: FAA-AL-ANC FSDO 03 - NTSB case key (mKey): 53206 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=ANC01LA088 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/53206/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC01LA088 ## Probable cause The student pilot's failure to abort a landing resulting in an overrun. Factors in the accident were the pilot's diverted attention, and gusty wind conditions. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Overrun, landing - roll - aborted landing - not performed, pilot in command (cause) - diverted attention, pilot in command (contributing factor) - terrain condition - water - weather condition - gusts (contributing factor) - On ground/water encounter with terrain/water, landing - roll - terrain condition - muskeg ## Analysis The student pilot was flying his own float-equipped airplane, as a flight of two airplanes, on a cross-country instructional flight. The second airplane in the flight, equipped with wheels, was operated by the student's flight instructor. During the flight, the weather conditions deteriorated to include light rain, gusty winds, and turbulence. The flight instructor decided to land on a gravel airstrip adjacent to a small lake because he smelled a gasoline odor in his airplane. The student pilot began a landing approach to the lake, but his first approach resulted in a go-around. On the second landing approach, the student pilot said he bounced the landing on the water,and the airplane settled onto the lake, but a wind gust lifted the airplane off the water. He said he then forced the airplane onto the water, but while doing so, he took his eyes off the shore of the lake. When the airplane finally settled onto the water, he noticed the airplane was close to the shore. He shut the engine off, but the airplane hit the beach, and came to rest in an area of muskeg, about 40 feet from the shoreline. The front float attach points were broken during the collision with the shore, and the airplane fuselage pivoted downward. The airplane received damage to the floats, engine cowling and propeller, the fuselage and wings. The student reported the weather conditions had gusty winds up to 25 knots. ## Factual narrative On July 7, 2001, about 1530 Alaska daylight time, a float-equipped Cessna 185 airplane, N2248T, sustained substantial damage during landing on a lake, about 2 miles east of Cantwell, Alaska. The airplane was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) cross-country instructional flight when the accident occurred. The airplane was registered to, and operated by, the pilot. The pilot, holder of a student pilot certificate, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The flight originated from Anchorage, Alaska, about 1330. During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC), on July 10, the student pilot reported that he was flying his airplane, as a flight of two airplanes, from Anchorage to Fairbanks. The other airplane in the flight was operated by his flight instructor. The student pilot has an endorsement for repeated cross-country solo flights on his student pilot's certificate, and has accrued about 100 hours of total flight time. The student pilot said that as the two airplanes approached the Cantwell area, the weather conditions included light rain, gusty winds, and turbulence. The flight instructor decided to land on a gravel airstrip adjacent to Drashner Lake because he smelled a gasoline odor in his airplane. The student pilot began a landing approach to the lake, but his first approach resulted in a go-around. On the second landing approach, the student pilot said he bounced the landing on the water,and the airplane settled onto the lake, but a wind gust lifted the airplane off the water. He said he then forced the airplane onto the water, but while doing so, he took his eyes off the shore of the lake. When the airplane finally settled onto the water, he noticed the airplane was close to the shore. He shut the engine off, but the airplane hit the beach, and came to rest in an area of muskeg, about 40 feet from the shoreline. The front float attach points were broken during the collision with the shore, and the airplane fuselage pivoted downward. The airplane received damage to the floats, engine cowling and propeller, the fuselage and wings. On July 20, the student pilot telephoned the NTSB IIC and reported the damage to the airplane was substantial, but he did not submit an NTSB Pilot/Operator report (NTSB Form 6120.1/2). On July 7, at 1458, an Aviation Routine Weather Report (METAR) at Cantwell was reporting, in part: Wind, 340 degrees (true) at 14 knots; visibility, 15 statute miles; clouds and sky condition, few at 2,500 feet, 4,000 feet broken, 7,000 feet overcast; temperature, 46 degrees F; dew point, 39 degrees F; altimeter, 29.71 inHg; remarks, Windy Pass estimated as marginal. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N2248T](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N2248T-2026-07-11), registration cancelled 2026-07-11, S/N 185-1406, built 1968 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Cessna 185 - Registry model: [Cessna A185E](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-a185e) (registry code 2072818) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental IO-520 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-io-520-series) (registry code 17032, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 185-1406 - Engines: Continental IO-520 300 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Instructional, Part 91 - Registered owner: Randy L. Price - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Departed: PAMR, ANCHORAGE, AK - Destination: CANTWELL, AK ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 46; injuries: none; student; medical: class 3, valid medical--no waivers/lim.; seat: left; flight hours: 100 total ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 315° at 14 knots, gusting 25 - Visibility: 15 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: 4,000 ft broken - Temperature: 46 °F, dew point 37 °F - Altimeter: 29.70 inHg - Observed at: PATW, 2 nm away ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20010707038579A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20010707038579A), Jul 7, 2001: Cessna A185E, Cantwell, AK, No damage. (-23) The student pilot was flying his own float-equipped airplane, as a flight of two airplanes, on a cross-country flight from anchorage, Alaska to… ## Other investigations on N2248T (1) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB CEN24LA316](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN24LA316), Aug 14, 2024: Cessna A185E (N2248T), Eveleth, MN, substantial damage. Probable cause: Water contamination of the fuel system which resulted in a total loss of engine power. Contributing was the pilot’s inadequate preflight. From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.