Cessna 185 accident near Petersburg, Alaska, September 29, 1992
On September 29, 1992 at about 8:25 pm local time, a Cessna 185, registered N4891Q, was destroyed in an accident near Petersburg, 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 PILOTS INADEQUATE COMPENSATION FOR WIND DURING INITIAL CLIMB. A FACTOR RELATING TO ACCIDENT WAS THE GUSTY WIND CONDITION.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 29, 1992 · about 8:25 pm local time
- Place
- Petersburg, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 185 · all 185s on the register
- Registration
- N4891Q · no longer on the register · serial 18503572
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PILOT OVERFLEW WATER LANDING AREA AT REMOTE LOCATION NOTING THAT HIGH GUSTING WINDS WERE SUBSIDING AND THE LANDING AREA WAS NOW SUITABLE FOR OPERATIONS. AFTER LANDING AND LOADING ONE PAX AND 225 LBS OF CARGO, HE ATTEMPTED WATER TAKEOFF. ON INITIAL LIFT OFF, GUSTS FORCED AIRCRAFT BACK TO WATER, HOWEVER THE PILOT ELECTED TO CONTINUE THE TAKEOFF RUN. BECOMING AIRBORNE A SECOND TIME, THE PILOT LOST CONTROL AT 30 FT ALTITUDE AND CARTWHEELED INTO THE WATER.
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; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 7,442 hours in all; 1,194 in this make and model; 11 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 7,168 as pilot in command; 152 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,835 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 20, 1992; 13 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Cascade Creek AK at 3:25 pm
- Destination: PSG Petersburg AK
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 10 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,600 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.