- Date
- May 20, 2025, 21:42 local (May 21, 2025, 05:42 UTC)
- Place
- Trapper Creek, AK · Shulin Lake
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N3308SCessna A185F
- Defining event
- Landing: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 23, 2025
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20250520018519A
- Case key
- 200419
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot’s improper flare while landing on glassy water, which resulted in a hard landing.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot reported that, as he approached his intended landing site in a float-equipped airplane, there were overcast sky conditions, light rain, and a glassy water surface on the remote lake. While on approach to the lake he lost depth perception and landed hard on the water which resulted in damage to the float riggings. He performed a go-around and on the second attempt to land the float rigging failed and the airplane came to rest inverted in the water. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings and fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3308S
- Reported as
- Cessna A185F
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18502267
- Built
- 1973
- Airframe hours
- 4,344.7
- Engine
- Cont Motor IO 520 SERIES, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 11, 2024
- Departed
- 3K9 · Wasilla, AK
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Equipment
- Handheld GPS, Electronic multifunction display, Auto-pilot
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 69
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- August 15, 2024
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 1,631 total · 500 in this make and model · 1,631 as pilot in command · 6 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 160° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,900 ft broken
- Temperature
- 46 °F, dew point 43 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.85 inHg
- Observed at
- ATK, 24 nm away
- METAR
- PATK 210621Z AUTO 16006KT 10SM BKN029 OVC041 08/06 A2985 RMK AO2 T00830056 TSNO
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 23, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 6.3 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N3308S · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.