ANC05CA004

The commercial pilot was familiar with the type of accident airplane he was flying, but he was using a friend's float-equipped airplane on a personal fishing trip, and did not have his own checklist with him. He indicated he did not use a checklist list, other than one from memory. He stated that it was the first flight of the morning, and after takeoff from a remote river, the airplane pitched up rapidly, and he could not lower the nose until he reduced power. The airplane then pitched down steeply, and he realized he had left the control lock in the control wheel. He removed the control lock, and was able to raise the nose just before the airplane struck the water, collapsing the floats and damaging the wings and fuselage. The pilot stated that the owner used a non-standard control wheel lock. It was a screwdriver, with the shaft of the screwdriver placed in the hole of the control wheel column.

On October 10, 2004, about 0900 Alaska daylight time, a float-equipped Cessna 185F airplane, N5001R, operated by Le Conte, LLC, as a Title 14, CFR Part 91 personal flight, sustained substantial damage during an uncontrolled descent and subsequent impact with water, after takeoff from a remote river near King Salmon, Alaska. The commercial pilot received serious injuries; the three passengers reported no injuries. The flight operated in visual meteorological conditions. No flight plan was filed for the local flight.

During a telephone conversation with the NTSB investigator-in-charge on October 18, the pilot related that the purpose of the flight was to go fishing. He stated that he was very familiar with Cessna 185 airplanes, but the accident airplane was a friend's airplane, and he did not bring his personal checklist with him. He said he relied on memory aids to complete the pretakeoff checklist. He noted that it was the first flight of the morning, and that the cabin was fairly dark in the morning light. He said in preparation for takeoff, he failed to notice that the control wheel lock for the elevator and ailerons had not been removed. He said he was able to get the airplane airborne, but it pitched up and climbed rapidly, and he could not get the nose down due to the locked control wheel. He reduced the power setting, and the nose pitched down. He said he realized the control lock must be place, and he was able to remove the control lock and pitch the nose to a level attitude just before the airplane struck the water. The impact collapsed both floats and damaged the wings and fuselage. The pilot noted that the control lock used by the airplane owner was a non-standard control lock. It was a screwdriver, with the shaft placed through the hole in the control wheel column.