Cessna 185E accident near Anchorage, Alaska, May 26, 2004
On May 26, 2004 at about 2:15 am local time, a Cessna 185E, registered N70233, was substantially damaged in an accident near Anchorage, Alaska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot/owner's failure to ensure that the airplane was in an airworthy condition prior to flight, which resulted in a partial loss of engine power and subsequent in-flight collision with a residence during an emergency landing after takeoff. Factors associated with the accident are a contaminated fuel pump, a flow-restricted fuel controller, a flow-restricted distributor valve, worn spark plugs, and inadequate servicing/maintenance of the airplane by other maintenance personnel.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 26, 2004 · about 2:15 am local time
- Place
- Anchorage, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 185E · all 185Es on the register
- Registration
- N70233 · registry record · serial 18502075
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot/owner and pilot-rated passenger were departing an airport in an amphibian-float equipped airplane for the pilot's first flight in the newly-purchased airplane. The pilot reported that during the takeoff and initial climb, the engine appeared to be producing full power, but that the airplane would not climb above 400 feet above the ground. The pilot was unable to maintain altitude, and he headed for a city street for an emergency landing. The airplane subsequently collided with a power line and an unoccupied residence, and came to rest inverted in the residence's driveway. Subsequent inspection of the airplane's fuel system disclosed significant contamination and resultant partial blockage of the fuel injection fuel controller screen, partial blockage of the fuel injection distributor screen, and rust and water in the fuel injector manifold and engine-driven fuel pump. Prior to an engine test run, the above items were cleaned, and a pair of excessively worn spark plugs replaced. The engine subsequently started and ran at various power settings, including a maximum of 2,500 rpm with a club test propeller, without any observed mechanical anomalies. The airplane's annual inspection was due six days after the accident flight, and the pilot/owner indicated that he had wanted to have the inspection accomplished prior to the accident flight, but that the aviation maintenance shop could not schedule it in time. The pilot noted that a prepurchase inspection of the airplane was not performed. A review of the maintenance logs disclosed that the airplane had accrued about 58 service hours in the previous 2.5 years. Federal Air Regulation section 91.7 states that the pilot in command is the person responsible for determining that the aircraft is in an airworthy condition prior to operation.
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: 2,105 hours in all; 1,500 in this make and model; 13 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 2,099 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 30, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
Crew member
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,296 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 1, 2003; 14 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520D-23 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MRI Anchorage AK
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 29.45 inHg
- Observation at 9:30 pm from PAMR, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.