- Date
- July 12, 1991, 18:15 local (Jul 13, 1991, 02:15 UTC)
- Place
- Wood River, AK
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N1689ZCessna 185A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 31, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19910712027199A
- Case key
- 5579
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 improper in-flight planning/decision, which resulted in fuel exhaustion due to an inadequate supply of fuel. Soft sand in the emergency landing area was a related factor.
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
During cruise flight, the engine lost power. Subsequently, an emergency landing was made on a sand bar where the airplane went over on its nose. In a telephone interview, the pilot stated that the airplane ran out of fuel and he misjudged his total flight time during this trip.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1689Z
- Reported as
- Cessna 185A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1850489
- Airframe hours
- 5,505
- Engine
- Continental IO-520-D, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Kevin R. O'Hara
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 20, 1991 · 43 hours before
- Departed
- 284 · Clear, AK
- Destination
- 95Z · North Pole, 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
- 35
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 320 total · 260 in this make and model · 300 as pilot in command · 48 in the last 90 days · 20 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.