Cessna 185 N2248T

Summary

On 7 July 2001 at about 23:30 local time, a Cessna 185 registered N2248T was involved in an accident near Cantwell, Alaska, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

7 July 2001 at 23:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Cantwell, Alaska, United States

Coordinates

63.3667, -148.8333

Aircraft

Cessna 185

Registration

N2248T

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Anchorage → Cantwell

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC01LA088

Nobody was injured.

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.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

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.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.