- Date
- June 17, 1983, 21:30 local (Jun 18, 1983, 05:30 UTC)
- Place
- (N) Skwentna, AK
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N3991QCessna 185
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19830617031159A
- Case key
- 4130
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
The acft was ground looped intentionally to prevent a collision with people or boats. The pilot said he had no braking action during landing. He believes someone loosened the plugs in the bottom of both brake cylinders and these plugs dropped out in flight. He said both plugs were in place during preflight and braking was good while taxing for takeoff. The tapped threads for those plugs were clean and shiny during post-accident examination.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3991Q
- Reported as
- Cessna 185
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1850217
- Airframe hours
- 2,941
- Engine
- Continental IO-520-D, 205 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Wiley D. Denson
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · August 20, 1982 · 56 hours before
- Departed
- 215 · Birchwood, AK
- Destination
- Lake Creek Stp., AK
- Airport
- Lake Creek, runway 9, 1,000 × ft, gravel
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
- 44
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 500 total · 80 in this make and model · 450 as pilot in command · 30 in the last 90 days · 15 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 61 °F, dew point 30 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.