Cessna 185 N185SZ

Summary

On 6 May 2020 at about 03:00 local time, a Cessna 185 registered N185SZ was involved in an accident near Palmer, 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

6 May 2020 at 03:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Palmer, Alaska, United States

Coordinates

61.6203, -148.9807

Aircraft

Cessna 185

Registration

N185SZ

Category

Airplane

Year built

1969

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Chugiak → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC20CA049

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s decision to attempt to " water ski" atop a remote river in a wheel-equipped airplane, resulting in a loss of control and a nose over.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that at the time of the accident he was practicing a “water ski” maneuver on the open waters of a remote river in his tailwheel-equipped airplane. The water ski maneuver involves the airplane's main wheels touching the surface of the water while maintaining flying speed. The pilot added that while maintaining about 90 knots indicated airspeed, with the main landing gear wheels “water-skiing” across the surface of the water, he recognized that there was additional drag being placed on the wheels, and the airspeed began to decay. In response, he added engine power, but the airspeed continued to rapidly decay, and the main wheels subsequently settled into the water, and the airplane nosed over, sustaining substantial damage to the wings and engine mounts. The pilot reported no mechanical problems with the airplane that would have precluded normal operations.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.