- Date
- April 8, 1994, 11:00 local (19:00 UTC)
- Place
- Paxson, AK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N8191QCessna A185F
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 25, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19940408000029A
- Case key
- 2496
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-in-command did not maintain proper clearance from the snow berm. A factor in the accident was the snow berm.
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 airplane collided with a snow berm during a ski takeoff on snow covered terrain. The left main landing gear support strut was sheared from its fuselage attachment fitting resulting in substantial damage to the landing gear box.
Factual narrative
On April 8, 1994, at 1100 Alaska daylight time, a wheel/ski equipped Cessna A185F airplane, N8191Q, operated by Gulkana Air Service, collided with a snow berm during takeoff from the Broxson Creek private landing strip located about 20 miles west of Gulkana, Alaska. The commercial certificated pilot-in-command, the sole occupant, was not injured and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The intended destination for the 14 CFR Part 91 business flight was Gulkana, Alaska. The pilot reported that visual meteorological conditions prevailed in the area at the time of the accident and a flight plan was on file with the Gulkana Flight Service Station.
On the afternoon of April 8, 1994, the NTSB investigator- in-charge conducted a telephone interview with the pilot. The pilot said that the flight was being conducted to check on miners located near Broxon Creek. During the takeoff from the strip, the left main landing gear support strut assembly was ripped from its fuselage attachment fitting causing substantial damage to the landing gear box frame. The flight diverted to and performed a landing on the frozen surface of Lake Louise with out further incident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8191Q
- Reported as
- Cessna A185F
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18503635
- Airframe hours
- 4,394
- Engine
- Continental IO-550-D5, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Operator
- Gulkana Air Service, Inc.
- Registered owner
- King, David W.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · February 21, 1994 · 10 hours before
- Destination
- Gulkana, AK
- Flight plan
- 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
- 34
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,600 total · 300 in this make and model · 1,470 as pilot in command · 15 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 5,500 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 30 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.