Cessna 185 accident near Valdez, Alaska, September 21, 1983
On September 21, 1983 at about 7:15 pm local time, a Cessna 185, registered N4559F, was substantially damaged in an accident near Valdez, Alaska. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 2 people were killed. 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
- September 21, 1983 · about 7:15 pm local time
- Place
- Valdez, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 185 · all 185s on the register
- Registration
- N4559F · no longer on the register · serial 185-1065
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT HAD TRIED TO FLY TO SILVER LAKE, EARLIER THAT MORNING, BUT HAD TO ABORT THE MISSION DUE TO LOW CEILING & VISIBILITY. WHEN HE HAD RETURNED AT 1110 ADT, THE CEILING HAD IMPROVED, BUT THERE WAS STILL LAYERS OF STRATUS & FOG BELOW THE MAIN CLOUD BASE. WITNESSES OBSERVED THE ACFT CIRCLE TWICE & BELIEVED THE PLT INTENDED TO LAND. DURING A DESCENDING LEFT TURN WITH 15 TO 20 DEG OF BANK, THE ACFT STRUCK THE WATER WITH THE LEFT FLOAT, THEN BOUNCED HIGH ABOVE THE WATER. AT THE TOP OF THE BOUNCE, HIGH ENG WAS HEARD, THEN THE ACFT PITCHED DOWN ABRUPTLY & CRASHED IN THE WATER. WHEN THE WATER & SPRAY SUBSIDED, WITNESSES SAW 2 FLOATS, THE REAR SECTION OF THE FUSELAGE & DEBRIS ON THE WATER. ABOUT 2 MIN LATER, THEY SAW THE 2 OCCUPANTS CLIMB ONTO THE FLOATING WRECKAGE. THE WITNESSES BEGAN BUILDING A LOG RAFT TO RESCUE THE OCCUPANTS, BUT BEFORE COMPLETING THE RAFT, THE OCCUPANTS HAD DRIFTED OUT OF SIGHT IN FOG & RAIN. A SEARCH WAS MADE FOR THE OCCUPANTS, BUT THEY COULD NOT BE FOUND & WERE PRESUMED TO HAVE DROWNED.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,500 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,405 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 4, 1983; 88 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Kenneth C. Sumey, Columbia Air
The flight
- Departed from: ROBE Robe Lake AK at 10:45 am
- Destination: Silver Lake AK
- Runway 0, 15,000 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,000 ft
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.