- Date
- March 6, 1989, 11:30 local (15:30 UTC)
- Place
- Puntilla Lake, AK
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N1292FCessna A-185-F
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 28, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19890306003099A
- Case key
- 5103
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 obtain an adequate airspeed, the turn to reverse course maneuver performed at the reduced airspeed and poor preflight planning. Contributing to the accident were the mountainous terrain and the downdraft conditions.
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
Immediately after takeoff, the pilot became unsure of clearing the mountainous terrain. A 180 deg turn was initiated during which the pilot encountered a strong downdraft. Passengers and witnesses stated that the airplane maintained an unusual nose-high attitude and low airspeed from lift-off to just before impact. The pilot had taken off from a rough area on the frozen lake, different from the usual takeoff area.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1292F
- Reported as
- Cessna A-185-F
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18502812
- Airframe hours
- 3,793
- Engine
- Continental IO-520-D, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Registered owner
- Jim & Julie Okonek
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 19, 1988 · 6 hours before
- Departed
- NONE
- Destination
- NONE · Rohn River, 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
- 57
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Flight engineer, Airline transport, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 11,500 total · 1,000 in this make and model · 9,010 as pilot in command · 23 in the last 90 days · 23 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 340° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 25 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 16 °F, dew point 10 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PTI, 5 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.