Cessna 185 accident near Big Lake, Alaska, July 21, 2003
On July 21, 2003 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Cessna 185, registered N8383Q, suffered minor damage in an accident near Big Lake, Alaska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the pilot of the seaplane and the operator of the jet ski to maintain an adequate visual lookout, which resulted in a collision during the airplane's landing flare.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 21, 2003 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Big Lake, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident · collision on the ground
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 185 · all 185s on the register
- Registration
- N8383Q · registry record · serial 18503675
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private certificated pilot reported that he was landing a float-equipped airplane toward the southeast on a lake near a point of land. During the landing flare, about 2 feet before touchdown, he noticed a blurred object on the right side of the airplane, moving perpendicular to his direction of landing. He then felt and heard an impact on the right float. When the airplane settled off the step, the pilot observed that a collision had occurred with a jet ski and rider that previously had been eastbound. The airplane received damage to the underside of the right float, specifically, to the right sister keelson at the step bulkhead, and along the keel area, aft of the step bulkhead. The operator of the stand-up type jet ski sustained multiple breaks of the bones of her left arm. The jet ski received damage to the upper handle portion. The operator of the jet ski said that she was heading east about 30 feet from the shore, passing a point of land, when the collision occurred. She said that at the time of the collision, the airplane had not touched the water. She estimated her speed between 20 to 35 mph. A review of the FAA's Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs) and the U.S. Coast Guard's navigation rules, disclosed no right-of-way regulations pertaining to an airborne seaplane and a vessel on the water.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 1,669 hours in all; 1,600 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 1,669 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 25, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,082 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 15, 2003; 35 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PALH Anchorage AK at 5:45 pm
- Destination: Big Lake AK
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.