Cessna 185F accident near Juneau, Alaska, January 10, 1989
On January 10, 1989 at about 7:30 pm local time, a Cessna 185F, registered N6420E, was substantially damaged in an accident near Juneau, Alaska (Snettisham airport). 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 MISJUDGEMENT OF THE RUNWAY CONDITIONS ON THE PART OF THE PILOT PRIOR TO LANDING. CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WERE DEEP SNOW ON THE RUNWAY, BOX CANYON CONFIGURATION OF THE AREA PRECLUDING RUNWAY OVERFLIGHT, MARGINAL WEATHER/LIGHT CONDITIONS FOR ASSESSING THE RUNWAY STATUS AND FAILURE ON THE PART OF COMPANY DISPATCH PERSONNEL TO ACQUIRE AND PROVIDE THE PILOT WITH THE RUNWAY CONDITIONS BEFORE DIVERTING THE FLIGHT TO THE LOCATION OF THE MISHAP.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 10, 1989 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- Juneau, Alaska · Snettisham · 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
- N6420E · no longer on the register · serial 18504041
- 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
FAR 135 FLT WAS DIVERTED TO REMOTE STRIP TO PICK UP ADDITIONAL PASSENGERS. THE DISPATCHER WAS NOT AWARE THAT THE RUNWAY WAS COVERED BY 4 FT OF SNOW UNTIL THE ACFT WAS BEYOND RADIO RANGE. THE PLT ASSUMED THAT THE RWY HAD BEEN PLOWED AS IT WAS IN PREVIOUS WINTERS. THE BOX CANYON CONDITION OF THE SURROUNDING TERRAIN PRECLUDED THE PLT FROM OVER FLYING THE RWY TO CHECK ITS CONDITION. ON APPROACH THE RWY APPEARED TO BE A NORMAL SNOW PACKED SURFACE. THE PLT LANDED THE AMPHIB FLOAT ACFT WITH THE LANDING GEAR DOWN AND THE AIRPLANE NOSED OVER DURING THE LANDING.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,400 hours in all; 300 in this make and model; 85 in the last 90 days; 35 in the last 30 days; 4,250 as pilot in command; 1,100 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,820 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 29, 1988; 60 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,320 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KAE Kake AK at 6:15 pm
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 36, 2,500 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 135° at 20 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°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 N6420E 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.