Cessna 185F accident near Barter Island, Alaska, June 27, 1988
On June 27, 1988 at about 4:15 pm local time, a Cessna 185F, registered N53042, was substantially damaged in an accident near Barter Island, Alaska. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. 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 27, 1988 · about 4:15 pm local time
- Place
- Barter Island, Alaska
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 185F · all 185Fs on the register
- Registration
- N53042 · no longer on the register · serial 18502333
- 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 5100 HOUR COMMERCIAL PILOT HAD LANDED AT A REMOTE LAKE ON AN AIR TAXI FLIGHT TO PICK UP THREE PASSENGERS. ON THE ENSUING TAKEOFF ATTEMPT, HE ELECTED TO ABORT THE TAKEOFF DUE TO WHAT HE FELT WAS AN INSUFFICENT AMOUNT OF LAKE REMAINING FOR A SUCCESSFUL TAKEOFF. HE WAS UNABLE TO STOP THE AIRCRAFT BEFORE IT STRUCK THE SHORE LINE. THE AIRPLANE CONTINUED ON TO THE TUNDRA FOR AN ADDITIONAL 80 FEET BEFORE COMING TO REST.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,100 hours in all; 1,100 in this make and model; 60 in the last 90 days; 55 in the last 30 days; 4,600 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 3,320 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Canning Air Service
The flight
- Departed from: ARC Arctic Village AK
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 70 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.