Cessna 180 accident near Thorne Bay, Alaska, July 21, 2000
On July 21, 2000 at about 3:30 am local time, a Cessna 180, registered N2997A, was destroyed in an accident near Thorne Bay, Alaska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot-in-command's inadvertent stalling of the airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 21, 2000 · about 3:30 am local time
- Place
- Thorne Bay, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180 · all 180s on the register
- Registration
- N2997A · no longer on the register · serial 30197
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial certificated pilot departed from a floating lodge in a float equipped airplane. After lift off, the airplane made a climbing right turn over the lodge and was observed to be in a slight climb attitude. The airplane then appeared to skid to the left. The left wing dropped, and the airplane appeared to stall. It then descended to the ground, making about 1/2 turn to the left. The engine sounds were heard all the way to the ground. The airplane collided with tall trees and then the ground in a nose down attitude, coming to rest in a small clearing of trees. The airplane received extensive impact damage with buckling and twisting of the airframe. The engine and propeller were buried in the ground. No evidence of any preimpact mechanical anomalies were discovered during the on-site investigation. The airplane was not recovered from the accident scene.
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: 1,425 hours in all; 1,368 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,045 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 28, 1999; 57 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Tolstoi Bay AK at 10:30 pm
- Destination: AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.