NTSB ANC21LA050 — 2021-06-27 · Dillingham, Alaska, United States

Current FAA registration · N8216J

Make / Model: CESSNA A185F
Year of manufacture: 1976 · 45 years old at event
Engine: CONT MOTOR IO 520 SERIES (285 hp)
Seats / Engines: 6 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date: 19950802
ADS-B equipped: Yes — Mode-S AB37C5

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

N8216J Cessna A185F None

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during takeoff in gusting wind conditions which resulted in a loss of control and impact with terrain.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that, just after takeoff from the narrow brush lined airstrip, he encountered a wind gust which pushed the airplane to the left. The left wing struck the brush and the airplane spun around and impacted terrain sustaining substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

— Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Not attained/maintained
— Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot
— Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Gusts-Effect on operation

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2021_ANC21LA050.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Search this event elsewhere

External sources are reported, not agency: signal that something happened, not fact about what happened.

Related research

Matched on aircraft type or causal vocabulary (loss of control). All research papers