Cessna 185E N70122

Summary

On 21 September 1997 at about 17:45 local time, a Cessna 185E registered N70122 was involved in an accident near Wasilla, Alaska, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

21 September 1997 at 17:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Wasilla, Alaska, United States

Nearest airport

Anderson Lake Strip (0AK1)

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

Cessna 185E

Registration

N70122

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Ferry

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → Anchorage

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC97LA153

Nobody was injured.

The loss of engine power due to water contaminated fuel, and the pilot's inadequate preflight inspection of the airplane. A factor associated with the accident was the lack of suitable terrain for a forced landing.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was planning to ferry his airplane from a private airstrip to a maintenance facility. The airplane's last annual inspection was in 1988. The airplane had not been flown since 1989. The pilot did not obtain a ferry permit. Prior to takeoff, the pilot drained water from the fuel tanks, and added several gallons of fuel to each tank. He then sloshed the fuel around in each tank, drained them, and then added full fuel to each tank. The pilot then performed two separate engine run-ups, and did not encounter any engine problem. The pilot departed the airstrip in an easterly direction and climbed to about 120 to 200 feet above the ground. The engine suddenly quit running, and the pilot selected an emergency landing area near a road. During the landing approach to the ground, the airplane collided with a power line and several trees. The right wing was torn from the fuselage. An FAA airworthiness inspector found a small amount of water in the left wing fuel drain, the header tank drain, and the gascolator drain.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.