ANC99LA096

The airplane was in cruise flight when all engine power was lost. The pilot switched fuel tanks, and activated the electric fuel boost pump. The engine did not restart, the airplane landed in a rocky riverbed, and nosed over. A witness stated that fuel was leaking from both wings at the accident site, and the magnetos and electric fuel boost pump switches were in the ON position. The NTSB investigator-in-charge and an FAA airworthiness inspector operated the engine on the airplane, with no anomalies noted. All flexible fuel lines were removed and internally inspected, the electric fuel pump and bypass valve were removed and tested, and all IO-520 maintenance manual troubleshooting procedures were followed by the IIC and FAA inspector, with no anomalies noted.

On July 22, 1999, at 1225 Alaska daylight time, a float equipped Cessna 185 airplane, N4949E, sustained substantial damage during an off airport forced landing in a rocky riverbed, about eight miles west of the Kodiak Airport, Kodiak, Alaska. The solo commercial pilot received minor injuries. The airplane was operated by the pilot under 14 CFR Part 91 as a business flight from the Lily Lake Seaplane Base in Kodiak, to the Uganik Cannery on Kodiak. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and a company VFR flight plan was filed.

The pilot told the NTSB investigator-in-charge (IIC) during a telephone interview on July 22, that the airplane was in cruise over mountainous terrain, about 1,600 feet above sea level, when the fuel pressure dropped. The pilot said he switched fuel tanks, ensured the mixture control was full forward, and turned on the electric fuel boost pump, but the engine did not restart. The pilot transmitted to a helicopter in the area that he was making an emergency landing. During the landing, the airplane nosed over.

The pilot of the helicopter told the IIC during a telephone interview on July 22, that after the airplane came to rest, he landed to assist the accident pilot. The helicopter pilot noted that he turned the magneto switch to OFF, and turned off both sides of the battery/alternator switch. He smelled fuel, and saw fuel dripping from both wings.

On August 18, the IIC and an FAA inspector operated the engine while it was installed on the airplane. The engine started, operated normally, and accelerated to full power. The electric fuel boost pump operated normally in both the HIGH and LOW boost position. The exhaust muffler was internally inspected, and no blockages were found. No anomalies were noted with the engine.

The Cessna 185 Service Manual fuel system troubleshooting procedures (pages 13-3 and 13-4) were followed by the NTSB IIC and the FAA inspector. No anomalies were noted. The fuel header tank shutoff valve operated fully and freely. All screens and filters were inspected and found to be unobstructed. All flexible fuel lines were removed, cut open, and inspected at the NTSB Materials Laboratory on October 13, 1999, with no blockages noted. On February 28, 2000, the electric fuel boost pump, and the free flow bypass valve, were tested at the manufacturer's facility under the supervision of an NTSB investigator, with no anomalies discovered.