What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
(-23) The aircraft a Cessna 185E (N1932U) landed on lower ugashik lake while bear hunting. The take off area was a strip of sand and gravel composition not soft or hard packed, but solid enough for landing and take off. The width of the usable shore line was approximately ten to twelve feet, with an eight to ten foot berm off the left wing. As reported by the pilot (Mr. Fryer) he was taking off to the southwest with an estimated left quartering crosswind of about fifteen knots from the south south west. During the take off roll the pilot (Mr. Fryer) indicated the right hand tire was about a foot and a half to two feet from the waters edge. At rotation the aircraft lifted only inches off the ground and the next thing he (Mr. Fryer) remembers is the nose of the aircraft pitching over about sixty degrees into the ground. As the nose of the aircraft came into contact with ground the left wing tip hit the up slope of the shore and the aircraft flipped onto its back into the lake.
As the FAA filed it
(-23) THE AIRCRAFT A CESSNA 185E (N1932U) LANDED ON LOWER UGASHIK LAKE WHILE BEAR HUNTING. THE TAKE OFF AREA WAS A STRIP OF SAND AND GRAVEL COMPOSITION NOT SOFT OR HARD PACKED, BUT SOLID ENOUGH FOR LANDING AND TAKE OFF. THE WIDTH OF THE USABLE SHORE LINE WAS APPROXIMATELY TEN TO TWELVE FEET, WITH AN EIGHT TO TEN FOOT BERM OFF THE LEFT WING. AS REPORTED BY THE PILOT (MR. FRYER) HE WAS TAKING OFF TO THE SOUTHWEST WITH AN ESTIMATED LEFT QUARTERING CROSSWIND OF ABOUT FIFTEEN KNOTS FROM THE SOUTH SOUTH WEST. DURING THE TAKE OFF ROLL THE PILOT (MR. FRYER) INDICATED THE RIGHT HAND TIRE WAS ABOUT A FOOT AND A HALF TO TWO FEET FROM THE WATERS EDGE. AT ROTATION THE AIRCRAFT LIFTED ONLY INCHES OFF THE GROUND AND THE NEXT THING HE (MR. FRYER) REMEMBERS IS THE NOSE OF THE AIRCRAFT PITCHING OVER ABOUT SIXTY DEGREES INTO THE GROUND. AS THE NOSE OF THE AIRCRAFT CAME INTO CONTACT WITH GROUND THE LEFT WING TIP HIT THE UP SLOPE OF THE SHORE AND THE AIRCRAFT FLIPPED ONTO ITS BACK INTO THE LAKE.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.