- Date
- September 30, 1989, 13:00 local (21:00 UTC)
- Place
- Shotgun Hills, AK
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N9706HCessna 185
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 24, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19890930037459A
- Case key
- 5273
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 adequately evaluate the existing weather conditions and to maintain control of the aircraft. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's overconfidence in both personal ability and the ability of the aircraft along with the downdraft conditions encountered.
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 experienced commercial pilot was attempting to take off from a mountain lake with two hunters aboard. Wind conditions at the time were estimated as gusting to 45 knots. Shortly after lift off the pilot stated that he encountered a strong downdraft. He said that he was unable to maintain directional control or altitude, and subsequently crashed about 200' from the shoreline. The pilot said that he could have prevented the accident had he elected to stay on the lake until the wind had subsided.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9706H
- Reported as
- Cessna 185
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18503463
- Engine
- Continental IO-520-D, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Operator
- Gunder, Dennis
- Registered owner
- Gunder, Dennis
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 9, 1988 · 128 hours before
- Destination
- BET · Bethel, 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
- 45
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 8,500 total · 4,500 in this make and model · 8,400 as pilot in command · 80 in the last 90 days · 60 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 90° at 35 knots, gusting 45
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,300 ft broken
- Temperature
- 45 °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 N9706H · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.