- Date
- August 18, 2025, 15:59 local (23:59 UTC)
- Place
- Haines, AK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N9BBCessna A185F
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Miscellaneous/other
- 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
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20250818010569A
- Case key
- 200872
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 selection of an unsuitable landing area resulting in an on-ground collision with an obscured log and a main landing gear separation.
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 he was landing a tailwheel-equipped airplane in an area of tidal, grass-covered terrain. After touchdown, during the landing rollout, the left main landing gear wheel struck a large log that was obscured by the tall grass, which resulted in the left main landing gear separation. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left main landing gear attachment point (gearbox assembly). The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9BB
- Reported as
- Cessna A185F
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18503356
- Built
- 1977
- Airframe hours
- 3,500
- Engine
- Cont Motor IO 520 SERIES, 285 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Rubber Chicken Airlines LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- PAJN · Juneau, AK
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Equipment
- Onboard weather, Satellite tracking device, Stall warning system, ADS-B, Handheld GPS, Electronic primary flight display, Angle of attack indicator, Auto-pilot, Electronic multifunction display
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
- 75
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Commercial, Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- March 1, 2025
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 11,000 total · 2,000 in this make and model · 11,000 as pilot in command · 70 in the last 90 days · 40 in the last 30 days · 8 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 130° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 6,500 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 57 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.97 inHg
- Observed at
- AHN, 7 nm away
- METAR
- PAHN 182354Z AUTO 13006KT 10SM FEW015 SCT021 OVC065 14/11 A2997 RMK AO2 SLP149 60003 T01390106 10139 20122 57002 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. 4.8 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 N9BB · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.