- Date
- July 12, 1995, 11:00 local (19:00 UTC)
- Place
- Bettles, AK
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N725Cessna 185C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 27, 1996
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19950712018699A
- Case key
- 2750
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's failure to properly judge the height of the airplane above the water during landing. Contributing to the accident were the glassy water conditions and an excessive descent rate at touchdown.
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 pilot had performed two previous glassy water landings on the lake. On his third landing, he misjudged his height above the water and prematurely reduced power. The aircraft descended abruptly and sustained substantial damage during the ensuing hard landing.
Factual narrative
On July 12, 1995, about 1100 Alaska daylight time, N725, a Cessna 185C on floats, operated by the U.S. Department of the Interior, landed hard on Walker Lake, Alaska, located about 50 miles west of Bettles, Alaska, and was substantially damaged. The commercial pilot and the two passengers aboard were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a company flight plan had been filed. The airplane was operated as a passenger-carrying, government use flight, and it was conducted under 14 CFR 91.
According to the pilot, he had made two previous uneventful glassy water landings on the lake. He stated that on the third landing, he misjudged the height above the water and reduced power too soon; the aircraft descended abruptly to a hard landing. An examination of the airplane revealed that the fuselage structure adjacent to the left rear float attach fitting was deformed.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N725
- Reported as
- Cessna 185C
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1850737
- Airframe hours
- 8,307
- Engine
- Continental IO-520D, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Public aircraft · Part 91
- Registered owner
- U.S. Dept. Of The Interior
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 26, 1994 · 93 hours before
- Departed
- BTT · Bettles, 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
- 56
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,042 total · 500 in this make and model · 1,892 as pilot in command · 110 in the last 90 days · 60 in the last 30 days · 8 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 61 °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 N725 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.