# NTSB ANC08LA029: Cessna 185, N572E, Skwentna, AK, December 23, 2007 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: December 23, 2007, 14:35 local (18:35 UTC) - Place: Skwentna, AK - Coordinates: 61.95, -151.19667 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=61.9500&lon=-151.1967&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Taxi](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/250) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 2 uninjured - Status: Completed, report August 28, 2008 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB office: Alaska Regional Office - Parties: Federal Aviation Administration - NTSB case key (mKey): 67449 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=ANC08LA029 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/67449/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC08LA029 ## Probable cause The pilot's selection of unsuitable terrain for taxi. Contributing to the accident were rough and uneven terrain, and an excessive taxispeed. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - On ground/water encounter with terrain/water, taxi - from landing - terrain condition - rough/uneven (contributing factor) - unsuitable terrain or takeoff/landing/taxi area - selected, pilot in command (cause) - taxispeed - excessive, pilot in command (contributing factor) - Gear collapsed, taxi - from landing - Nose over, taxi - from landing ## Analysis The pilot of a wheel/ski-equipped airplane said that after landing on a frozen lake and while taxiing to parking, the airplane's right wheel/ski struck an area of crusty, ice-covered snow, and the right main landing gear collapsed. The pilot said that the airplane subsequently nosed over, and sustained substantial damage to the wings and vertical stabilizer. The pilot said that there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane, and noted that his excessive taxi speed may have contributed to the landing gear collapse. ## Factual narrative On December 23, 2007, about 1435 Alaska standard time, a wheel/ski equipped Cessna 185 airplane, N572E, sustained substantial damage while taxiing after landing on a frozen lake, about 10 miles east of Skwentna, Alaska. The airplane was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) personal flight under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91, when the accident occurred. The private pilot and sole passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The airplane departed the Lake Hood Airstrip, Anchorage, Alaska, about 1400. During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC), on January 8, 2008, the pilot reported that while taxiing to parking, the right wheel/ski struck an area of crusty, ice-covered snow. He said that the right main landing gear collapsed, and the airplane nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane, and noted that his excessive taxispeed may have contributed to the landing gear collapse. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N572E](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N572E), registered now, S/N 18502089, built 1972 (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: 18502089 - Airframe hours: 4818.4 - Engines: Continental IO-520 300 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: James M. Eule - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, January 1, 2007, 60.8 hours before - Departed: Z41, ANCHORAGE, AK - Destination: Skwentna, AK ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 39; injuries: none; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land, single-engine sea; medical: class 3, without waivers/limitations; last flight review January 1, 2006; seat: left; flight hours: 459 total, 221 in this make and model, 353 as pilot in command, 12 in the last 90 days, 3 in the last 30 days, 1 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 300° at 10 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: 7,500 ft overcast - Temperature: 19 °F ## 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 20071223828949A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20071223828949A), Dec 23, 2007: Cessna A185E, Skwentna, AK, Substantial damage. (-23) After landing at bulchitna lake the pilot began a turn to taxi back to the other end of the lake. The pilot was making a left turn and the right gear… 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.