Cessna 185 N4559F

Summary

On 21 September 1983 at about 19:15 local time, a Cessna 185 registered N4559F, operated by Kenneth C. Sumey, Columbia Air, was involved in an accident near Valdez, Alaska, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. No probable cause statement is available for this record.

Date

21 September 1983 at 19:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Valdez, Alaska, United States

Coordinates

61.1504, -146.8093

Aircraft

Cessna 185

Registration

N4559F

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Kenneth C. Sumey, Columbia Air

Operating rule

Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter

Purpose of flight

Unknown

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Robe Lake → Silver Lake

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC83FA180

2 people died.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

THE PLT HAD TRIED TO FLY TO SILVER LAKE, EARLIER THAT MORNING, BUT HAD TO ABORT THE MISSION DUE TO LOW CEILING & VISIBILITY. WHEN HE HAD RETURNED AT 1110 ADT, THE CEILING HAD IMPROVED, BUT THERE WAS STILL LAYERS OF STRATUS & FOG BELOW THE MAIN CLOUD BASE. WITNESSES OBSERVED THE ACFT CIRCLE TWICE & BELIEVED THE PLT INTENDED TO LAND. DURING A DESCENDING LEFT TURN WITH 15 TO 20 DEG OF BANK, THE ACFT STRUCK THE WATER WITH THE LEFT FLOAT, THEN BOUNCED HIGH ABOVE THE WATER. AT THE TOP OF THE BOUNCE, HIGH ENG WAS HEARD, THEN THE ACFT PITCHED DOWN ABRUPTLY & CRASHED IN THE WATER. WHEN THE WATER & SPRAY SUBSIDED, WITNESSES SAW 2 FLOATS, THE REAR SECTION OF THE FUSELAGE & DEBRIS ON THE WATER. ABOUT 2 MIN LATER, THEY SAW THE 2 OCCUPANTS CLIMB ONTO THE FLOATING WRECKAGE. THE WITNESSES BEGAN BUILDING A LOG RAFT TO RESCUE THE OCCUPANTS, BUT BEFORE COMPLETING THE RAFT, THE OCCUPANTS HAD DRIFTED OUT OF SIGHT IN FOG & RAIN. A SEARCH WAS MADE FOR THE OCCUPANTS, BUT THEY COULD NOT BE FOUND & WERE PRESUMED TO HAVE DROWNED.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.