Cessna 185F accident near Pilot Point, Alaska, September 19, 1999
On September 19, 1999 at about 6:30 pm local time, a Cessna 185F, registered N60859, was substantially damaged in an accident near Pilot Point, 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 pilot's inadequate compensation for wind conditions. Factors in the accident were the pilot's inadequate evaluation of the weather conditions, a downdraft, and swampy terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 19, 1999 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Pilot Point, 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
- N60859 · no longer on the register · serial 18504064
- 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 commercial certificated pilot landed at a lake in a float equipped airplane. He was conducting a nonscheduled air taxi flight to retrieve moose meat and antlers. He was assisted by a non-revenue passenger. The lake is oriented east/west, about 1,900 feet long, and about 800 feet wide. The meat had been left behind the day before the accident, when the pilot transported hunting clients from the lake. The pilot departed the lake toward the west, and lifted off about 300 feet before the end of the lake. The pilot said the airplane climbed to about 50 feet above the ground, and then encountered a downdraft from mountains/hills located south of the accident scene. He said full power was already applied to the engine, but the airplane descended into soft, marshy terrain, and nosed over about 200 to 300 yards beyond the west end of the lake. The airplane received damage to the propeller, the right wing, and the left wing spar. The pilot indicated the weather conditions were, in part: Clouds and sky condition, 2,500 feet broken; wind, from the south (180 degrees) at 8 knots; visibility, 25 miles; temperature, 50 degrees F; precipitation, none; turbulence, none to light.
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: 3,200 hours in all; 1,000 in this make and model; 350 in the last 90 days; 100 in the last 30 days; 3,200 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 14,903 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 29, 1999; 56 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D49B (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: C-Air
The flight
- Destination: PAKN King Salmon AK
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 45°F (7°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.
Other NTSB records under N60859 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.