ANC04LA075

The commercial pilot of the float-equipped airplane reported he took off from a lake, and was going to fly over a cabin at the opposite end to let the occupants know he was departing. He said while cruising across the lake, the airplane encountered a downdraft and impacted the water. He said he was knocked unconscious, and does not remember any details about the accident. He was extricated from the airplane by the passenger, and taken to the shore. The pilot said the airplane rolled over during the accident, and sank to the bottom of the lake. He noted the airplane received airframe structural damage during the accident.

On July 10, 2004, about 1615 Alaska daylight time, a float-equipped Cessna 180 airplane, N3267D, sustained substantial damage during an in-flight collision with water, when it encountered a downdraft during cruise flight over Amber Lake, about 28 miles southwest of Talkeetna, Alaska. The airplane was being operated by the commercial pilot as a visual flight rules (VFR) personal cross-country flight under Title 14, CFR Part 91 when the accident occurred. The pilot and sole passenger both received minor injuries. The airplane departed Amber Lake for Anchorage, Alaska, about 1610.

During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC) on July 12, the pilot said as he departed the lake, he was going to fly over a cabin at the opposite end of the lake to let the occupants know he was on his way to Anchorage. He said while cruising across the lake, the airplane encountered a downdraft and impacted the water. He said he was knocked unconscious, and does not remember any details about the accident. He said he was extricated from the airplane by the passenger, and taken to the shore. The airplane rolled over during the accident, and sank to the bottom of the lake.

In a written statement to the NTSB dated July 22, the pilot reported structural damage to the airframe.