Cessna 185F N5001R

Summary

On 10 October 2004 at about 17:00 local time, a Cessna 185F registered N5001R was involved in an accident near King Salmon, Alaska, United States. 4 people were on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

10 October 2004 at 17:00

Classification

Accident

Location

King Salmon, Alaska, United States

Coordinates

58.6667, -156.5667

Aircraft

Cessna 185F

Registration

N5001R

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

King Salmon → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Dawn

NTSB number

ANC05CA004

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot's failure to use a checklist, and to remove the flight control locks prior to flight, which resulted in an uncontrolled descent and in-flight collision with terrain/water.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The commercial pilot was familiar with the type of accident airplane he was flying, but he was using a friend's float-equipped airplane on a personal fishing trip, and did not have his own checklist with him. He indicated he did not use a checklist list, other than one from memory. He stated that it was the first flight of the morning, and after takeoff from a remote river, the airplane pitched up rapidly, and he could not lower the nose until he reduced power. The airplane then pitched down steeply, and he realized he had left the control lock in the control wheel. He removed the control lock, and was able to raise the nose just before the airplane struck the water, collapsing the floats and damaging the wings and fuselage. The pilot stated that the owner used a non-standard control wheel lock. It was a screwdriver, with the shaft of the screwdriver placed in the hole of the control wheel column.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.