- Date
- July 5, 2009, 19:30 local (Jul 6, 2009, 03:30 UTC)
- Place
- Skwentna, AK
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N4448RCessna A185F
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report September 30, 2009
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Parties
- FAA - FSDO3
- FAA report
- 20090705047569A
- Case key
- 74293
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to recognize his proximity to the glassy water landing surface while flying in smoke haze, and his failure to maintain a proper descent rate during the landing approach.
Findings · 4
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The private pilot had a hard landing during a personal flight in a float-equipped airplane under Title 14, Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. In a written report to the NTSB, the pilot stated, in part: “With the glassy water and the smoke haze I lost my depth perception and hit the water hard.” A postflight examination revealed that the airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot wrote in his report that the accident could have been prevented by using the shoreline to determine altitude during landing. He noted that there were no preaccident mechanical problems with the airplane.
Factual narrative
The private pilot had a hard landing during a personal flight in a float-equipped airplane under Title 14, Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. In a written report to the NTSB, the pilot stated, in part: “With the glassy water and the smoke haze I lost my depth perception and hit the water hard.” A postflight examination revealed that the airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot wrote in his report that the accident could have been prevented by using the shoreline to determine altitude during landing. He noted that there were no preaccident mechanical problems with the airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4448R
- Reported as
- Cessna A185F
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18502960
- Airframe hours
- 4,409
- Engine
- Cont Motor IO 520 SERIES, 285 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Frank R. Bell
- Registered owner
- Frank R. Bell
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 1, 2009 · 12 hours before
- Departed
- LHD · Anchorage, AK
- Destination
- Shell Lake, AK
- Flight plan
- Unknown
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 66
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- June 23, 2008
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 4,974 total · 4,975 in this make and model · 4,974 as pilot in command · 12 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.50 inHg
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 14, 2009, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 639 KB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.