NTSB CAROL · Event
Event ANC15CA019
Registry · N3885Q
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
CESSNA A185F
Year of manufacture
1973 · 42 years old at event
Engine
CONT MOTOR IO 520 SERIES (285 hp)
Seats / Engines
6 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19730504
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A47C18
Registrant of record
GADES ALLEN L TRUSTEE
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The pilot's loss of directional control during landing, resulting in a collision with terrain.
Factual narrative
The pilot was landing to the south on a gravel runway in his tailwheel-equipped Cessna 185 airplane. During the landing rollout, a wind gust from the east was encountered and the pilot was unable to maintain directional control. The airplane entered a ground loop, sustaining substantial damage to the right wing. The pilot stated there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or anomalies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot was landing to the south on a gravel runway in his tailwheel-equipped Cessna 185 airplane. During the landing rollout, a wind gust from the east was encountered and the pilot was unable to maintain directional control. The airplane entered a ground loop, sustaining substantial damage to the right wing. The pilot stated there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or anomalies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12
NTSB Findings
Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).
- C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
- C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Not attained/maintained - C
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2015_ANC15CA019.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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