Cessna 185 accident near Juneau, Alaska, April 27, 1999
On April 27, 1999 at about 10:09 pm local time, a Cessna 185, registered N93311, was substantially damaged in an accident near Juneau, Alaska (Juneau International airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the engine driven fuel pump for undetermined reasons. Factors associated with this accident were the low altitude at which the failure occurred resulting in task overload of the pilot, and landing the amphibious airplane in the swampy terrain short of the runway with the wheels extended.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 27, 1999 · about 10:09 pm local time
- Place
- Juneau, Alaska · Juneau International · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 185 · all 185s on the register
- Registration
- N93311 · no longer on the register · serial 18503217
- 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 amphibious airplane was about 300 feet above the ground, on short final to land on the runway, when the engine quit. The airplane landed in soft mud with the wheels extended, and flipped over. Postaccident examination revealed fuel in both wing tanks. Bench testing revealed the engine driven fuel pump would not pump fuel, and drew air into the pump when primed and operated. Disassembly did not reveal any blockages, damaged seals, or sources of the air leak.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,000 hours in all; 600 in this make and model; 3 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 1,660 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,258 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 7, 1999; 80 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,525 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-550-FCD (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Ward Air, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: Hawk Inlet AK at 4:59 pm
- Destination: JNU
- Runway 26, 8,456 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 6,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from JNU, 1 miles away
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.