- Date
- January 10, 1989, 15:30 local (19:30 UTC)
- Place
- Juneau, AK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N6420ECessna 185F
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 28, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890110003849A
- Case key
- 40968
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 NTSB’s determination of the probable cause, and any contributing factors.
The misjudgement of the runway conditions on the part of the pilot prior to landing. Contributing to the accident were deep snow on the runway, box canyon configuration of the area precluding runway overflight, marginal weather/light conditions for assessing the runway status and failure on the part of company dispatch personnel to acquire and provide the pilot with the runway conditions before diverting the flight to the location of the mishap.
Analysis
FAR 135 flt was diverted to remote strip to pick up additional passengers. The dispatcher was not aware that the runway was covered by 4 ft of snow until the acft was beyond radio range. The plt assumed that the rwy had been plowed as it was in previous winters. The box canyon condition of the surrounding terrain precluded the plt from over flying the rwy to check its condition. On approach the rwy appeared to be a normal snow packed surface. The plt landed the amphib float acft with the landing gear down and the airplane nosed over during the landing.
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.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6420E
- Reported as
- Cessna 185F
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18504041
- Airframe hours
- 3,820
- Engine
- Continental IO-520-D, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Registered owner
- Channel Flying, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · November 29, 1988 · 60 hours before
- Departed
- KAE · Kake, AK
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- Snettisham, runway 36, 2,500 × 100 ft, gravel
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
- 38
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 4,400 total · 300 in this make and model · 4,250 as pilot in command · 85 in the last 90 days · 35 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 135° at 20 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility
- 2 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,500 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 30 °F, dew point -0 °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 N6420E · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.