Cessna 185F accident near Pelican, Alaska, February 19, 1992
On February 19, 1992 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Cessna 185F, registered N4948Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near Pelican, Alaska (Pelican Seaplane Base airport). It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S INADEQUATE VISUAL LOOKOUT DURING TAKEOFF. CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WAS THE GLARE FROM THE SUN.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 19, 1992 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Pelican, Alaska · Pelican Seaplane Base · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 185F · all 185Fs on the register
- Registration
- N4948Q · registry record · serial 18503583
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING TAKEOFF, AND WHEN AT APPROXIMATELY 10 TO 15 FEET ABOVE THE WATER THE FLOAT PLANE COLLIDED WITH A CHANNEL MARKER. THE PILOT SAID HE DID NOT SEE THE MARKER UNTIL THE IMPACT. THE PILOT AND WITNESSES SAID THAT THE TAKEOFF WAS MADE DIRECTLY INTO THE SUN.
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, flight instructor, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 10,796 hours in all; 500 in this make and model; 140 in the last 90 days; 56 in the last 30 days; 8,200 as pilot in command; 2,181 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 12,026 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, February 15, 1992; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Bellair, INC.
The flight
- Destination: SIT Sitka AK
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 18 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
Other NTSB records under N4948Q the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.