Cessna 185F accident near Toksook Bay, Alaska, June 1, 1989
On June 1, 1989 at about 5:15 am local time, a Cessna 185F, registered N9360N, was substantially damaged in an accident near Toksook Bay, Alaska. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT INADVERTENTLY LANDED ON WATER WITH THE GEAR EXTENDED.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 1, 1989 · about 5:15 am local time
- Place
- Toksook Bay, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 185F · all 185Fs on the register
- Registration
- N9360N · no longer on the register · serial 185-04340
- 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 AMPHIBIOUS FLOAT PLANE NOSED OVER IMMEDIATELY AFTER LANDING ON WATER. THE PLT STATED THE WHEELS WERE RETRACTED, BUT THE PASSENGER SAID ALL FOUR WHEELS WERE DOWN WHEN THE ACFT TOUCHED DOWN. WHEN THE ACFT WAS PULLED FROM THE WATER, ALL WHEELS WERE IN THE DOWN POSITION. DRG A POST-ACCIDENT CHECK, ALL OF THE GEAR OPERATED PROPERLY & ALL REMAINED IN THE UP POSITION.
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: 1,800 hours in all; 400 in this make and model; 300 in the last 90 days; 120 in the last 30 days; 1,650 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,768 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 22, 1989; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 5 knots, gusting 10
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 3,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 45°F (7°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.