Cessna 185F accident near Ketchikan, Alaska, February 23, 1997
On February 23, 1997 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Cessna 185F, registered N4471R, was substantially damaged in an accident near Ketchikan, Alaska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 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 allowed an excessive rate of descent to develope during an approach to land, and delayed in initiating a go-around.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 23, 1997 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Ketchikan, 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
- N4471R · registry record · serial 18502964
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was landing a float equipped airplane near an ocean bay. Small ocean swells were present in the area of intended landing. The pilot indicated that during the landing approach, the descent rate was excessive, and she added full power to begin a go-around. The airplane continued to descend and the floats firmly contacted the water. The airplane then lifted off the water, and the pilot noticed the upper right door hinge was broken. The airplane was not flown again or inspected until 3 months later. The inspection facility noticed wrinkling and distortion of the lower fuselage, aft of the firewall and under the doors of the airplane. All of the airplane's door hinges were broken. Additional wrinkling was observed above the baggage door, under the aft window. The inspection facility considered the airplane as unairworthy.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 210 hours in all; 90 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 101 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 3,320 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 5KE at 5:30 pm
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 225° at 6 knots, gusting 12
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 3,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 48°F (9°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.
Other NTSB records under N4471R 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.