20041010029579A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Cessna A185F · King Salmon, AK · October 10, 2004

Date: October 10, 2004 · 11:07 local
Place: King Salmon, AK
Phase of flight: Forced/Precautionary Landing
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Substantial damage
Aircraft: N5001R
NTSB investigation: NTSBANC05CA004
Reported as: Cessna A185F
Reported engine: Continental IO550*
People aboard: 3
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 88,063 total3,590 in this make and model66 in the last 90 days

N5001RRegistered now · Cessna A185FS/N 18502974 · Built 1976 Airframe modelCessna A185F Engine modelContinental IO-520 seriesReciprocating

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

(-23) The pilot of the float equipped airplane and his 3 passengers departed a fishing lodge shortly after dawn. The airplane accelerated and came onto the step normally. Just prior to lift off the pilot rolled in a little aft trim and the airplane left the water. As the airplane accelerated, the pitch attitude began to increase. The pilot applied forward pressure to lowe the nose but the nose continued to rise. Power was then reduced to idle and the nose began to lower but the pilot was unable to control the pitch attitude by means of the flight controls. As the airplane descended the pilot discovered a screwdriver had been inserted into the flight controls to act as a control lock. The pilot removed the screwdriver and was able to raise the nose to a landing attitude but was unable to climb before the airplane landed hard collapsing the float attach struts.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) THE PILOT OF THE FLOAT EQUIPPED AIRPLANE AND HIS 3 PASSENGERS DEPARTED A FISHING LODGE SHORTLY AFTER DAWN. THE AIRPLANE ACCELERATED AND CAME ONTO THE STEP NORMALLY. JUST PRIOR TO LIFT OFF THE PILOT ROLLED IN A LITTLE AFT TRIM AND THE AIRPLANE LEFT THE WATER. AS THE AIRPLANE ACCELERATED, THE PITCH ATTITUDE BEGAN TO INCREASE. THE PILOT APPLIED FORWARD PRESSURE TO LOWE THE NOSE BUT THE NOSE CONTINUED TO RISE. POWER WAS THEN REDUCED TO IDLE AND THE NOSE BEGAN TO LOWER BUT THE PILOT WAS UNABLE TO CONTROL THE PITCH ATTITUDE BY MEANS OF THE FLIGHT CONTROLS. AS THE AIRPLANE DESCENDED THE PILOT DISCOVERED A SCREWDRIVER HAD BEEN INSERTED INTO THE FLIGHT CONTROLS TO ACT AS A CONTROL LOCK. THE PILOT REMOVED THE SCREWDRIVER AND WAS ABLE TO RAISE THE NOSE TO A LANDING ATTITUDE BUT WAS UNABLE TO CLIMB BEFORE THE AIRPLANE LANDED HARD COLLAPSING THE FLOAT ATTACH STRUTS.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB ANC05CA004Accident · Serious injuriesData collectionFinal reportKing Salmon, AKThe pilot's failure to use a checklist, and to remove the flight control locks prior to flight, which resulted in an uncontrolled descent and in-flight collision with terrain/water.Oct 10, 2004 · Substantial damage

Other reports on N5001R · 1

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

Incident 19910303010092IFinal Approach · Eagle River, AKHit by NR9974 as pilot was leveling off for touchdown. Other aircraft had just lifted off on departure.Mar 3, 1991 · Minor damage