- Date
- March 28, 2026, 12:00 local (20:00 UTC)
- Place
- Skwentna, AK · Canyon Lake
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N94237Cessna A185F
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 25, 2026
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20260328002869A
- Case key
- 202711
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 loss of directional control during landing roll due to contact with wind hardened snow berm and subsequent failure of main landing gear.
Findings · 4
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 the wheel ski-equipped airplane on a remote snow-covered lake, shortly after touchdown he said the nose of the airplane began to yaw to the right. As the airplane was about 90° into the right turn the pilot heard a loud bang behind and to his right. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the right main landing gear axle had sheared off the gear leg and that the forward right bungee and cabled became disconnected which allowed the ski to impact the top of the right wing which resulted in substantial damage to the wing and fuselage. The pilot said he found a wind hardened snow berm that he believed the right ski impacted on landing which caused the right axle bolts to shear from the gear leg. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N94237
- Reported as
- Cessna A185F
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18503294
- Built
- 1977
- Airframe hours
- 2,785
- Engine
- Continental IO-520, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Ryan J Brett
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 18, 2025
- Departed
- PAWS · Wasilla, AK
- Destination
- Private Strip, AK
- Airport
- NONE
- Equipment
- Handheld GPS
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
- 42
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- June 2, 2025
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 875 total · 375 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 12 °F, dew point -2 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.32 inHg
- Icing
- Unknown
- Turbulence
- Unknown
- Observed at
- ATK, 50 nm away
- METAR
- METAR PATK 281853Z 00000KT 10SM CLR M11/M19 A3032 RMK AO2 SLP276 T11061194 $
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 25, 2026, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.0 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 N94237 · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.