Cessna A185F N1718R

Summary

On 7 March 2025 at about 23:00 local time, a Cessna A185F registered N1718R was involved in an accident near Skwentna, 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

7 March 2025 at 23:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Skwentna, Alaska, United States

Nearest airport

None

Coordinates

61.7650, -151.5776

Aircraft

Cessna A185F

Registration

N1718R

Category

Airplane

Year built

1974

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → Anchorage

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC25LA030

Nobody was injured.

Maintenance personnel’s reuse of worn hardware during the installation of the landing gear assembly and the hardware’s failure and subsequent separation of the gear leg from the landing gear box assembly during taxi.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that, while taxiing for takeoff from a remote, snow-covered lake, the right landing gear leg collapsed, resulting in substantial damage to the landing gear box assembly and door post assembly. A postaccident examination of the right landing gear leg assembly revealed that the gear leg separated from its position in the landing gear box assembly and folded under the airplane. The bolt that secured the gear leg to the landing gear box assembly remained in place; however, the nut was found in the belly of the airplane. Although the hardware installed on the airplane’s main landing gear spring differed from the hardware specified in the airplane manufacturer’s parts catalog, the composition and hardness of the installed bolt were consistent with typical specifications for an AN-type bolt. However, the bolt and nut exhibited worn threads consistent with progressive wear over time rather than a sudden overload. The mechanic who performed a landing gear change about a year and a half before the accident stated that, although he did not recall the hardware used during the gear change, when he changes landing gear, he uses the hardware provided by the owner for installing the landing gear. Based on the condition of the nut and bolt, the worn hardware was likely re-used during the installation of the landing gear assembly. Re-use of the worn bolt and nut then allowed the hardware to fail under load during taxi, resulting in collapse of the landing gear.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.