- Date
- September 14, 1987, 22:00 local (Sep 15, 1987, 06:00 UTC)
- Place
- Mt. Watana, AK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N5416RCessna 185
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 7, 1988
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19870914058989A
- Case key
- 4922
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
After liftoff from a lake the airplane's engine stopped producing power and the airplane began settling toward the remaining lake. The engine surged and the airplane crashed on the tundra, 200 yards from the lake's edge. The pilot stated that he drained the fuel sumps on the first flight of the day and found water, but did not drain the fuel sumps on subsequent flights.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5416R
- Reported as
- Cessna 185
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18503036
- Airframe hours
- 1,400
- Engine
- Continental IO-520, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Dennis Store
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
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
- 40
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 8,500 total · 2,100 in this make and model · 8,400 as pilot in command · 105 in the last 90 days · 60 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 100 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 39 °F, dew point 37 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
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 N5416R · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.