Cessna 185 accident near Kodiak, Alaska, July 22, 1999
On July 22, 1999 at about 8:25 pm local time, a Cessna 185, registered N4949E, was substantially damaged in an accident near Kodiak, Alaska. It was a personal 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 total loss of engine power for undetermined reasons. A factor in this accident was the mountainous terrain in which the pilot had to perform a forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 22, 1999 · about 8:25 pm local time
- Place
- Kodiak, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 185 · all 185s on the register
- Registration
- N4949E · registry record · serial 185-03917
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was in cruise flight when all engine power was lost. The pilot switched fuel tanks, and activated the electric fuel boost pump. The engine did not restart, the airplane landed in a rocky riverbed, and nosed over. A witness stated that fuel was leaking from both wings at the accident site, and the magnetos and electric fuel boost pump switches were in the ON position. The NTSB investigator-in-charge and an FAA airworthiness inspector operated the engine on the airplane, with no anomalies noted. All flexible fuel lines were removed and internally inspected, the electric fuel pump and bypass valve were removed and tested, and all IO-520 maintenance manual troubleshooting procedures were followed by the IIC and FAA inspector, with no anomalies noted.
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: 4,500 hours in all; 650 in this make and model; 35 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 4,400 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,513 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 1, 1999; 8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 9Z3 Lily Lake AK at 1:20 pm
- Destination: Uganik Bay AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:55 pm from ADQ, 8 miles away
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.
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.