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ANC23LA059

2023-08-04 · Iliamna, Alaska, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Current FAA registration · N9855X

Make / Model
CESSNA 185
Year of manufacture
1961 · 62 years old at event
Engine
CONT MOTOR IO 520 SERIES (285 hp)
Seats / Engines
6 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19950831
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S ADC0D4

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The passenger’s inadvertent application of brakes during landing that resulted in a nose over.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that before landing at a remote tundra airstrip, he put his heels on the floor with his toes off the brake portion of the rudder pedals. Shortly after touching down, the front seat passenger inadvertently applied pressure to the brake pedals, and the airplane suddenly and violently nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings, vertical stabilizer, rudder and fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation, nor did he brief his passenger on the risk of interfering with the brake pedals. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • — Personnel issues-Experience/knowledge-Knowledge-Knowledge of equipment-Passenger

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2023_ANC23LA059.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

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