Cessna 185E accident near Yakutat, Alaska, August 30, 1992
On August 30, 1992 at about 2:45 am local time, a Cessna 185E, registered N3347L, was substantially damaged in an accident near Yakutat, Alaska (Yakutat airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 6 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT IN COMMAND NOT MAINTAINING DIRECTIONAL CONTROL OF THE AIRPLANE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 30, 1992 · about 2:45 am local time
- Place
- Yakutat, Alaska · Yakutat · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 6 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 185E · all 185Es on the register
- Registration
- N3347L · registry record · serial 185 1275
- 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 IN COMMAND OF THE 14 CFR PART 135 ON DEMAND SIGHTSEEING FLIGHT REPORTED THAT SHORTLY AFTER THE MAIN LANDING GEAR TIRES TOUCHED DOWN ON THE RUNWAY SURFACE, THE AIRPLANE VEERED SHARPLY TO THE LEFT. DEPRESSING THE RIGHT RUDDER PEDAL AND APPLYING HEAVY BRAKING TO THE RIGHT WHEEL HAD NO NOTICEABLE AFFECT ON THE DIRECTIONAL CONTROL OF THE AIRPLANE. THE PILOT BELIEVED THAT THE CONTROL DIFFICULTY MAY HAVE BEEN DUE TO THE UNINTENTIONAL DEPRESSING OF THE LEFT RUDDER PEDAL BY THE PASSENGER SEATED IN THE RIGHT FRONT SEAT. THE PASSENGER DENIED THIS TO BE THE CASE. A POST ACCIDENT INSPECTION OF THE AIRPLANE BY THE OPERATOR FOUND NO DIFFICULTIES WITH THE PLANE'S FLIGHT AND GROUND CONTROL DIRECTIONAL SYSTEMS.
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: 2,559 hours in all; 91 in this make and model; 60 in the last 90 days; 45 in the last 30 days; 2,559 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,208 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 20, 1992; 24 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,300 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Gulf Air Taxi, INC.
The flight
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 29, 7,748 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 122°F (50°C), dew point 117°F (47°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 5 |
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 N3347L 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.