N749

On June 7, 2002, about 1630 Alaska daylight time, a wheel/ski-equipped Cessna 185 airplane, N749, sustained substantial damage when the right wing struck the ice-covered surface of a remote lake during the landing roll, about 45 miles southwest of Kaktovik, Alaska. The airplane was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) local area public use flight when the accident occurred. The airplane was operated by the U.S. Department of Interior, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Fairbanks, Alaska. The commercial certificated pilot, and the sole passenger, were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. A VFR flight plan was filed.

During a telephone conversation with the NTSB IIC, on June 10, an investigator with the U.S. Department of Interior, Office of Aircraft Services, Boise, Idaho, reported that the pilot was landing toward the west on a remote lake at the conclusion of a caribou tracking flight. The pilot estimated there was about 1,500 feet of usable landing area. The pilot landed with the skis extended, and began sliding on the icy surface toward an area of open water near the shore. The investigator reported that the pilot initiated a left turn and applied engine power. The airplane's right wing and right elevator struck the ice. The airplane received damage to the right wingtip, right aileron, and the right elevator. After landing, the pilot discovered the wind was from the east about 7 knots.