Cessna 185F accident near Near Chinitna B, Alaska, June 19, 1982
On June 19, 1982, a Cessna 185F, registered N4212Q, was destroyed in an accident near Near Chinitna B, Alaska. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person was killed; 2 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 19, 1982
- Place
- Near Chinitna B, Alaska
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed; 2 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 185F · all 185Fs on the register
- Registration
- N4212Q · no longer on the register · serial 18502223
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRCRAFT WAS CHARTERED TO SALVAGE GEAR FROM A BURNED HOVERCRAFT THAT WAS BEACHED ABOUT ONE MILE SOUTH OF CHINITNA BAY. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT THE TWO PASSENGERS GOT THE GEAR READY TO LOAD WHILE HE HELD THE PLANE OFF THE BEACH BY HAND, TRYING TO KEEP THE FLOATS FROM BEING DAMAGED. ALSO, HE REPORTED THAT HE LOADED THE PLANE WHILE A PASSENGER HELD IT. AFTER THE AIRCRAFT WAS LOADED, THE PILOT TAXIED OUT AND BEGAN A SOUTH TAKEOFF. HOWEVER, THE AIRCRAFT WOULD NOT GET ON THE STEP. A CHECK OF THE RIGHT FLOAT REVEALED THAT THE SECOND COMPARTMENT FROM THE FRONT WAS FULL OF WATER. THE OTHER COMPARTMENTS WERE DRY. WHILE TAXIING TO A SAND BEACH ABOUT 3 TO 5 MILES AWAY, THE NOSE OF THE AIRCRAFT WENT UNDER THE WATER. THE OCCUPANTS EGRESSED WITH SOME DIFFICULTY. A SHORT TIME LATER, THE PLANE ROLLED OVER AND A HOLE WAS NOTED IN THE NO. 2 COMPARTMENT NEXT TO THE KEEL. ONE PASSENGER STAYED WITH THE PLANE UNTIL RESCUED. THE OTHER PASSENGER IS PRESUMED TO HAVE DROWNED WHILE HE AND THE PILOT WERE SWIMMING TO SHORE.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,510 hours in all; 3,700 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 8,500 as pilot in command; 50 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,135 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 81 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LHD Anchorage AK at 1:30 pm
- Destination: Ancorage AK
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 7 knots
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 140°F (60°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 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.