- Date
- January 5, 1982, 09:39 local (13:39 UTC)
- Place
- Bethel, AK
- Injuries
- 2 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N3343SCessna A185F
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 5, 1983
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Case key
- 69937
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
When a passenger arrived for a charter flight, the intended aircraft would not start. Therefore, Cessna A185F, N3343S, a wheel/ski equipped aircraft was selected for the flight. The pilot indicated that the temperature had been extremely cold on the preceeding night. He indicated that he had previously preheated and had run-up the aircraft, then replaced the engine cover and plugged-in the heater. The pilot indicated that he cycled the propeller once while taxiing to the runway. However, the oil temperature was not yet in the operating range. At the ambient temperature of -21 degrees fahrenheit, it would not heat up at the low power setting necessary for taxiing. The takeoff was normal until the pilot reduced the propeller RPM. Shortly thereafter, the engine surged. The pilot attributed the surge to cold oil in the governor system and elected to return to the airport and land. Reportedly, the pilot diverted his attention during the turn. The aircraft stalled and struck the ground during a recovery.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3343S
- Reported as
- Cessna A185F
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18502277
- Airframe hours
- 2,762
- Engine
- Continental IO-520-D24, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Executive Charter Service
- Registered owner
- Nelson Island Air Service Inc.
- Departed
- BET · Bethel, AK
- Destination
- Napakiak, AK
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- BET · Bethel, runway 18, 4,000 × 150 ft, macadam
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
- 33
- Certificate
- Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 6,000 total · 1,105 in this make and model · 5,705 as pilot in command · 260 in the last 90 days · 40 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 330° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- -6 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- BET
Other investigations on N3343S · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.