Cessna 185 accident near Uganik Bay, Alaska, May 24, 1990
On May 24, 1990 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Cessna 185, registered N1095F, was substantially damaged in an accident near Uganik Bay, Alaska. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S IMPROPER COMPENSATION FOR WIND CONDITIONS. FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WERE THE DOWNDRAFTS AND GUSTY WINDS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 24, 1990 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Uganik Bay, Alaska
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 185 · all 185s on the register
- Registration
- N1095F · registry record · serial 18502750
- 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 PILOT REPORTED THAT IMMEDIATELY AFTER A WATER TAKEOFF, THE AIRCRAFT ENCOUNTERED A DOWNDRAFT AND GUSTY WINDS. IT THEN ENTERED AN UNCOMMANDED ROLL & DESCENT. THE PILOT LEVELED THE WINGS, BUT THE AIRCRAFT HIT THE WATER BEFORE HE COULD STOP THE DESCENT.
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: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 14,600 hours in all; 8,500 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days; 60 in the last 30 days; 14,180 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,531 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, May 7, 1990; 40 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE at 6:00 pm
- Destination: KPY Port Bailey AK
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 10 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,500 ft; scat at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N1095F the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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 ANC90LA076.