Cessna A185F accident near Kasitsna Bay, Alaska, November 14, 1988
On November 14, 1988 at about 5:30 pm local time, a Cessna A185F, registered N4759E, was substantially damaged in an accident near Kasitsna Bay, Alaska. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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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 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 14, 1988 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- Kasitsna Bay, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A185F · all A185Fs on the register
- Registration
- N4759E · registry record · serial 18503865
- 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 WAS LANDING ON A BEACH TO DELIVER MAIL. HE RPRTD THAT DURING TOUCHDOWN, THE ACFT SKIPPED ABOUT 50 FT BEFORE SETTLING TO THE GROUND, THEN IT REMAINED IN CONTACT WITH THE GROUND & ROLLED STRAIGHT AHEAD. DURING THE LANDING ROLL, THE ACFT NOSED OVER. THE PLT THOUGHT THE NOSE-OVER MIGHT HAVE BEEN CAUSED BY THE ACFT WHEELS HITTING A SOFT SPOT ON THE BEACH WHILE HE WAS APPLYING BRAKES. THE USABLE LANDING AREA ON THE BEACH WAS RPRTD TO BE ABOUT 900 FT. THE PLT HAD LANDED ON THE BEACH MANY TIMES DURING HIS 8 YEARS OF EMPLOYMENT WITH THE COMPANY.
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
- Flight time: 10,000 hours in all; 300 in this make and model; 221 in the last 90 days; 93 in the last 30 days; 9,850 as pilot in command; 1,200 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Cook Inlet Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: HOM Homer AK at 5:20 pm
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 3,000 ft; scat at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 1:30 pm
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ANC89LA017.