# NTSB ANC01FA102: Cessna 185, N4849C, Tyonek, AK, August 10, 2001 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Fatal · Field investigation · Final report - Date: August 9, 2001, 16:15 local (Aug 10, 2001, 00:15 UTC) - Place: Tyonek, AK - Coordinates: 61.385276, -151.38916 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=61.3853&lon=-151.3892&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: Fatal - Injuries: 1 fatal - Status: Completed, report July 25, 2002 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB office: Alaska Regional Office - Parties: FAA-AL-ANC FSDO 03, TELEDYNE CONTINENTAL MOTORS, CESSNA AIRCRAFT COMPANY - NTSB case key (mKey): 53030 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=ANC01FA102 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/53030/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC01FA102 ## Probable cause A loss of engine power during cruise flight due to fuel system contamination with water, and the pilot's inadequate preflight procedures. A factor in the accident was unsuitable terrain for a forced landing. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of engine power(total) - nonmechanical, cruise - fuel system - contamination,water (cause) - aircraft preflight - inadequate, pilot in command (cause) - fluid,fuel - contamination,other than water - Forced landing, emergency descent/landing - terrain condition - none suitable (contributing factor) - In flight collision with object, emergency descent/landing - object - tree(s) ## Analysis The pilot departed his residence at a private lake in a float-equipped airplane to transport passengers to another remote lake. Prior to his departure, the airplane was fueled by the pilot from a 1,000 gallon metal tank located on his lake property. During the fueling process, the metal tank's fuel supply was exhausted, but sufficient fuel was obtained to fill one fuel tank, and nearly fill the other. Before departing for the day, the pilot purchased 15 gallons of additional fuel at a nearby airport and placed 5 gallons of the additional fuel in the airplane fuel tanks. He then conducted two round-trip flights to the remote lake. After a day of fishing at the remote lake, the pilot flew to his residence, and added 10 gallons of additional fuel to the airplane. Two empty five gallon fuel cans were found at his dock. He then departed on the accident flight to pick up additional passengers from the remote lake, but he did not arrive at his destination. The airplane was located inverted in an area of tall trees. The airplane flaps were extended full down. The engine did not appear to be running at the time of the accident. The airplane's fuel totalizer indicated 29 gallons of fuel. A postaccident examination of the engine found no mechanical malfunctions. Minor wrinkles were found along the bottom of each of the airplane's fuel bladders. The gascolator contained about a teaspoon of water and particulate contamination. The header tank had about an ounce of fuel and water. The fuel pump contained no fuel. Evidence of tan-colored particulate contamination was found in a fluid sample obtained from the fuel filter housing, attached to the pilot's fuel tank hand pump on his fuel tank. ## Factual narrative HISTORY OF FLIGHT On August 9, 2001, at an estimated time of 1615 Alaska daylight time, a float-equipped Cessna 185 airplane, N4849C, sustained substantial damage during a collision with trees, about 20 miles northwest of Tyonek, Alaska. The airplane was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) cross-country personal flight when the accident occurred. The airplane was operated by the pilot. The private certificated pilot, the sole occupant, received fatal injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The night before the accident flight, a family member reported that the airplane was fueled by the pilot from a metal tank located at his residence on Memory Lake, Wasilla, Alaska. During the fueling process, the metal tank's fuel supply was exhausted, but the family member said that one of the airplane's fuel tanks was completely full, and the other was nearly full. The pilot obtained 15 gallons of additional fuel from the Wasilla Airport which he placed in three, five-gallon plastic containers. One container of five gallons was added to the airplane fuel tanks. On the day of the accident, the pilot departed the Memory Lake property and flew to Lucile Lake, Wasilla. The pilot boarded several passengers at Lucile Lake, and flew to Beluga Lake, Alaska, located about 22 miles northwest of Tyonek. The pilot returned to Lucile Lake, boarded additional passengers, and flew to Beluga Lake. He remained at Beluga Lake and fished until about 1430. The pilot then departed and flew to his residence at Memory Lake, arriving about 1515. The distance from Memory Lake to Lucile Lake is about 3 nautical miles. The distance from Lucile Lake to Beluga Lake is about 58 miles. Prior to the accident flight, the family member reported that the pilot added ten gallons of additional fuel to the airplane from the previously filled containers. He then departed from his residence about 1545 to pick up the passengers he transported to Beluga Lake on the earlier flights. The airplane did not arrive at Beluga Lake, and the flight was reported overdue by the family member about 1735. An emergency locator transmitter (ELT) signal was received by search personnel in the area of Beluga Lake. The airplane was located by search aircraft at 2027, inverted, in an area of thick brush, surrounded by tall spruce trees. PERSONNEL INFORMATION The pilot held a private pilot certificate with airplane single-engine land and single-engine sea ratings. The most recent third-class medical certificate was issued to the pilot on August 15, 2000, and contained no limitations. According to the pilot's logbook, his total aeronautical experience consisted of about 981 hours, with about 393 hours in the accident airplane make and model. In the preceding 90 and 30 days prior to the accident, the logbook lists a total of 29 and 7 hours respectively. AIRCRAFT INFORMATION The airplane had accumulated a total time in service of 2,353.9 hours. Examination of the maintenance records revealed that the most recent annual inspection of the airframe and engine was accomplished on September 1, 2000, 32.1 hours before the accident. The engine had accrued a total time of 2,200.4 hours. The maintenance records note that a major overhaul was accomplished on October 7, 1991, 565.4 hours before the accident. METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION The closest official weather observation station is Anchorage, Alaska, which is located 42 nautical miles east of the accident site. At 1653, an Aviation Routine Weather Report (METAR) was reporting in part: Wind, 170 degrees (true) at 7 knots; visibility, 10 statute miles; clouds and sky condition, few at 3,000 feet, 5,500 feet broken, 25,000 feet broken; temperature, 66 degrees F; dew point, 49 degrees F; altimeter, 30.22 inHg. COMMUNICATIONS There were no reports of communications with the accident airplane. WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC), along with an FAA inspector, examined the airplane wreckage at the accident site on August 10, 2001. The airplane was lying inverted in a small depression in an area of thick underbrush, surrounded by about 50 feet tall spruce trees. All of the airplane's major components were found at the main wreckage area. The nose of the airplane was oriented on a 280 degree magnetic heading. Two large trees, about 50 feet from the tail of the airplane, had broken tops. The forward nose compartment of each float assembly was broken from their respective float, and were found about 3 feet forward of the nose of the inverted airplane. Two disruptions of the ground were adjacent to each broken nose compartment segment. The engine was displaced aft and slightly downward. The upper side of the propeller spinner, the engine cowling, the windshield center brace, and the "V" brace, were crushed and buckled downward along a diagonal line from the propeller to the top of the cockpit windshield. The right wing had spanwise leading edge aft crushing and curling from the tip to about the wing lift strut attach point, and the wing segment was bent downward. The leading edge metal was curled downward. The right aileron remained attached to the wing. A portion of the left wing had a chordline separation, about mid-point between the wingtip and the lift strut attach point. The exposed end of the wing spar, at the point of separation, had aft bending and slight upward curling. At the point of separation, the leading edge wing material had semi-circular shaped aft crushing. The torn wing segment was pivoted inboard and forward, along the front side of the wing. The left aileron remained attached to the wing. Both lift struts remained attached to their respective wing and lower attach points. The float assemblies remained attached to their respective fuselage attach points, and had no damage except the previously noted damage to the nose of each float assembly. The vertical stabilizer and rudder were crushed downward and forward, and curled to the left side of the empennage. The horizontal stabilizers and elevator had minor damage. The fuselage, aft of the cabin area, had wrinkling of the underside of the tail. The aft fuselage was displaced slightly downward. The manual flap handle appeared to be raised to a full flap position (40 degrees). The wing flaps appeared to be fully extended. Following recovery of the airplane, an additional wreckage examination was conducted at the Big Lake Airport, Big Lake, Alaska, on August 24. The parties noted in this report participated in the examination. Recovery personnel reported that when they were rigging the inverted airplane for helicopter retrieval, they opened the right wing fuel cap to remove extra weight from the airplane. Recovery personnel said that the right wing tank contained fuel that took several minutes to drain. The flight control surfaces remained connected to their respective attach points. The horizontal stabilizer trim actuator was found extended 8.3 inches. According to the airplane manufacturer, the extended stabilizer actuator corresponded to a 7 degree tab up (nose-down) setting. Flight control system cable continuity was established from each control surface to the cabin/cockpit area. The propeller assembly remained connected to the engine crankshaft. The propeller blades each had minor aft bending. The two engine cowl-mounted landing lights were undamaged. The engine sustained impact damage to the upper front portion of the engine. The crankshaft could be rotated by the propeller. Gear and valve train continuity was established, and thumb compression in each cylinder was noted when the crankshaft was rotated by hand. The mechanical fuel pump's drive gear and shear pin were intact. No fuel was noted in the pump upon hand rotation. The fuel inlet screen was dry. The magnetos produced spark at all term ## Aircraft - Registration: [N4849C](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N4849C-2008-05-06), registration cancelled 2008-05-06, S/N 18502617 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Cessna 185 - Registry model: [Cessna A185F](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-a185f) (registry code 2072821) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 18502617 - Airframe hours: 2354 - Engines: Continental IO-520-D 300 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: Curtis C. Menard - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, September 1, 2000, 32 hours before - Departed: WASILLA, AK - Destination: TYONEK, AK ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 36; injuries: fatal; private; airplane ratings: single-engine sea, single-engine land; medical: class 3, valid medical--no waivers/lim.; last flight review April 20, 2001; seat: left; toxicology performed; flight hours: 981 total, 29 in the last 90 days, 7 in the last 30 days ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 147° at 7 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: 5,500 ft broken - Temperature: 66 °F, dew point 48 °F - Altimeter: 30.21 inHg - Observed at: PANC, 42 nm away ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20010809036359A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20010809036359A), Aug 9, 2001: Cessna A185F, Anchorage, AK, No damage, 1 fatal. (-23) The pilot was flying a float equipped Cessna 185 to pick up passengers at beluga lake. Three miles from beluga lake the engine lost power and the pilot… From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.