Cessna A185 N185AE

Summary

On 19 February 2017 at about 02:08 local time, a Cessna A185 registered N185AE was involved in an accident near Fairbanks, 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

19 February 2017 at 02:08

Classification

Accident

Location

Fairbanks, Alaska, United States

Nearest airport

Fairbanks Intl (FAI)

Coordinates

64.8150, -147.8564

Aircraft

Cessna A185

Registration

N185AE

Category

Airplane

Year built

1973

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Fairbanks → Fairbanks

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

GAA17CA147

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain an appropriate glidepath to the runway and to use the vertical guidance system.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that, during the first landing of a currency flight, he "never realized he was low on the approach" and that the airplane impacted a snow-covered area short of the asphalt runway and nosed over. He added that the flight was conducted in "reduced light conditions" and that he "did not recognize the conditions as being flat light." The vertical stabilizer sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The National Weather Service reported that the sun set about 25 minutes after the accident. The Federal Aviation Administration Chart Supplement stated, in part, that the landing runway was equipped with a precision approach path indicator.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.