- Date
- May 23, 1989, 09:40 local (17:40 UTC)
- Place
- Green Island, AK
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N9944VCessna 180
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 28, 1991
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19890523015059A
- Case key
- 5187
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
Failure of the pilot to select a suitable landing area. Factors related to the accident were: rough water conditions, and the pilot's lack of experience in this make and model of aircraft.
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 float equipped Cessna 180 airplane flipped over while landing near Green Island, AK. The air taxi pilot was flying two boat crew members to their boats on an unscheduled charter flight. Witnesses stated that the airplane appeared to be flaring to land, when it entered a slight left turn & the left float 'dug into' the water. The pilot believed the airplane may have encountered a boat's wake that he did not see before the encounter. A crew member from a nearby boat dove into the water and helped the pilot and passengers escape.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9944V
- Reported as
- Cessna 180
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 51798
- Engine
- Continental O-470, 230 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Registered owner
- Cordova Air Service
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · May 17, 1989 · 50 hours before
- Departed
- CKU · Cordova City, AK
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
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
- 37
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,350 total · 3 in this make and model · 1,300 as pilot in command · 120 in the last 90 days · 65 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- 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.