Home Documents Images Message Board
(Use your browser's back button to return to the page that you were previously viewing.)

 

 


NTSB Identification: ANC99LA052. The docket is stored in the (offline) NTSB Imaging System.

Accident occurred Tuesday, April 27, 1999 at JUNEAU, AK

Aircraft: Cessna 185, registration: N93311

Injuries: 1 Serious, 1 Minor



Event: 20001205X00410 Status: Final Report Approved On Friday, June 23, 2000



NTSB Preliminary Narrative (6120.19A)



On April 27, 1999, at 1409 Alaska daylight time, an amphibious float equipped, Cessna 185 airplane, N93311, sustained substantial damage

when it landed short of runway 26 at the Juneau International Airport, Juneau, Alaska. The commercial pilot received minor injuries. The

passenger received serious injuries. The flight was operated under 14 CFR Part 135 as an on-demand air taxi by Ward Air, Inc., of Juneau. The

flight departed Hawk Inlet, Alaska, for Juneau at 1359. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and a company

VFR flight plan was on file.



The pilot told two FAA inspectors at the scene that the engine suddenly quit when the airplane was 300 feet above the ground, during final

approach to land. The pilot indicated that he turned on the electric fuel pump, but the engine did not restart. He also stated he retracted the flaps

to attempt to increase the glide distance. The airplane landed in soft mud short of the runway, and nosed over. The pilot said that both

occupants were wearing shoulder harnesses at the time of the accident. The pilot repeated these statements to the NTSB

investigator-in-charge (IIC) during a telephone interview on April 28.



The passenger stated to the IIC he was not wearing a shoulder harness, and was not aware that there was one.



Initial inspection of the airplane by FAA inspectors revealed that the engine crankshaft was intact, and fuel was present in both wing tanks. The

flaps were extended to 30 degrees, the landing gear handle was down, and the wheels were extended. The FAA inspectors applied power to

the electric boost pump and confirmed that it operated normally. No other mechanical anomalies were noted with the engine.



The engine driven fuel pump, Continental Motors (TCM) part number 64905A6R, was flow tested on a test bench under the direction of the NTSB

IIC on May 3, 1999. The pump repeatedly would not maintain a prime, had air drawn into the system, and would not pump fuel. Disassembly of

the pump did not reveal any visible passage or orifice blockages, nor torn gaskets or seals. A telephone conversation by the NTSB IIC with the

TCM chief accident investigator on June 15 revealed that the likely source of air into the pump was either the forward fuel seal, or a blocked

vapor tower jet.



Additionally, the Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT), Sharc-7 model # 7J4-193, did not operate during the accident. Inspection of the ELT at

the NTSB laboratory on June 10 revealed that the ELT was installed in the airplane in November 1998. The installed battery pack was

manufactured in February 1999, and installed into the ELT on an unknown date between February 1999 and April 27, 1999. One of the internal

battery terminal connectors was found fractured, and disconnected. Microscopic examination at the NTSB materials laboratory revealed tool

markings on the connector consistent with those left by pliers. Installation of the adjacent battery required bending the connector and wire out

of the way.



NTSB Final Narrative (6120.4)



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.



NTSB Probable Cause Narrative



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

Occurrences and Sequence of Events

Occurrence: 1, LOSS OF ENGINE POWER(TOTAL) - MECH FAILURE/MALFUNCTION

Phase of Operation: APPROACH - VFR PATTERN - FINAL APPROACH



Sequence of Events for Occurrence Number: 1

1 ( Cause ) FUEL SYSTEM, PUMP / INOPERATIVE / (0)

2 (Finding) REASON FOR OCCURRENCE UNDETERMINED / /



Occurrence: 2, NOSE OVER

Phase of Operation: EMERGENCY DESCENT/LANDING



Sequence of Events for Occurrence Number: 2

1 ( Factor ) TERRAIN CONDITIONS / SWAMPY / (0)

2 ( Factor ) ALTITUDE / LOW /

3 ( Factor ) EXCESSIVE WORKLOAD (TASK OVERLOAD) / (0) / PILOT IN COMMAND

4 ( Factor ) WHEELS DOWN LANDING IN WATER / PERFORMED / PILOT IN COMMAND


 

 

Home Documents Images Message Board
(Use your browser's back button to return to the page that you were previously viewing.)