- Date
- June 19, 1985, 22:30 local (Jun 20, 1985, 06:30 UTC)
- Place
- Theordore River, AK
- Injuries
- 2 minor, 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N91390Cessna 180H
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19850619026579A
- Case key
- 4413
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 plt landed the float plane on the Theordore River which had a maximum width of about 90 ft & had few straight runs of more than 400 ft. the River had many sharp turns, some in excess of 150 degs, & its depth was as low as 18 inches at low tide. The plt elected to takeoff as the tide was receding & the water was flowing at 7 to 9 KTS. He stated that he misjudged the speed of the River. While step turning around a bend, the right wing contacked the River bank & the acft turned over. The plt reported that when impact with the River bank was imminent, he initiated a water loop to prevent injuries.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N91390
- Reported as
- Cessna 180H
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18052060
- Engine
- Continental IO-470-F, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Douglas E. Beers
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Destination
- Lower Fire Lake, AK
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
- 30
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Expired
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 3,200 total · 10 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 150° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Temperature
- 50 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N91390 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.