Cessna 182C accident near Akiachak, Alaska, October 11, 1988
On October 11, 1988, a Cessna 182C, registered N449SA, was substantially damaged in an accident near Akiachak, Alaska (Akiachak airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 5 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
- October 11, 1988
- Place
- Akiachak, Alaska · Akiachak · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182C · all 182Cs on the register
- Registration
- N449SA · registry record · serial 52854
- 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 AIR TAXI PILOT LANDED LONG AND WAS UNABLE TO STOP THE AIRCRAFT BEFORE IT RAN OFF THE RUNWAY AND CAME TO REST IN A DITCH. A 30-40 KT GUSTY CROSSWIND AND TURBULENCE EXISTED AT THE TIME. THE PILOT STATED THAT DURING THE LANDING ROLL, HE DISCOVERED THAT THE LEFT BRAKE WAS INOPERATIVE AND SUBSEQUENT EXAMINATION FOUND THE COTTER PIN MISSING FROM THE LEFT RUDDER/BRAKE PEDAL. THIS HAD ALLOWED THE PEDAL RETAINING SHAFT TO PARTIALLY BACK OUT, AND THE ASSEMBLY TO BECOME DISCONNECTED. THE MISSING COTTER PIN WAS NOT FOUND. THE PIC WAS BEING PAID A PERCENTAGE OF THE GROSS INCOME EARNED BY THE AIRCRAFT HE FLEW. IF THE TRIP WAS NOT COMPLETED, HE DID NOT GET PAID.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,055 hours in all; 575 in this make and model; 200 in the last 90 days; 77 in the last 30 days; 900 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 3, 1988; 31 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-L (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Seagull Air Service INC.
The flight
- Departed from: AK86 Napakiak AK at 7:05 pm
- Runway 28, 1,900 ft by 40 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 30 knots, gusting 40
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 4 |
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.