Cessna A185F N714JE

Summary

On 15 April 2021 at about 20:00 local time, a Cessna A185F registered N714JE was involved in an accident near Anchorage, Alaska, United States. 3 people were 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

15 April 2021 at 20:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Anchorage, Alaska, United States

Nearest airport

Merrill Fld (MRI)

Coordinates

61.2163, -149.8364

Aircraft

Cessna A185F

Registration

N714JE

Category

Airplane

Year built

1983

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC21LA031

Nobody was injured.

A loss of control during landing for reasons that could not be determined based on the available evidence.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot-in-command (PIC) reported that, nothing abnormal with the tailwheel-equipped airplane occurred during initial taxi, takeoff, or during the approach. During the landing, after touchdown, as power was reduced and the airplane began to “settle”, the airplane veered right. He attempted to correct for the veer, added engine power, and the airplane became airborne. During the second flight around the pattern the safety pilot (SP) flew the airplane and the approach with no issues. The SP performed the second landing, and after the touchdown the airplane veered to the right again. The SP and PIC attempted to correct for the veer to no avail. The airplane subsequently continued to veer right, exited the runway on the right side, impacted a snowbank, and came to rest inverted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing and empennage. The PIC reported that the nature and circumstances of the incident caused him to believe that there was something mechanical that forced the airplane to turn rapidly to the right during both landings. However, the PIC did not know what that could be. The airplane had a wheel alignment performed the day before the accident, and the airplane was taxi tested with an additional two takeoffs and landings with the airplane “tracking satisfactory”, before being signed-off. A post-accident examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed no mechanical failures or malfunctions. It was noted that the alignment of the main landing gear and wheel could not be determined due to the amount of side-load the airplane experienced during the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.