Cessna 120 accident near Iliamna, Alaska, September 14, 2000
On September 14, 2000 at about 5:00 am local time, a Cessna 120, registered N72775, was substantially damaged in an accident near Iliamna, Alaska (Iliamna airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A failure of the pilot to maintain directional control of the airplane. Factors in the accident were the passenger's inadvertent interference with the controls, and a ditch along the runway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 14, 2000 · about 5:00 am local time
- Place
- Iliamna, Alaska · Iliamna · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 120 · all 120s on the register
- Registration
- N72775 · registry record · serial 9958
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private certificated pilot was landing a tailwheel-equipped airplane. During the landing roll, the passenger's feet became entangled in the rudder pedals. The airplane departed the left side of the runway, went into a ditch, and nosed over. The airplane received damage to the propeller, the vertical stabilizer, and the left wing lift strut. The wind was calm.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 275 hours in all; 237 in this make and model; 275 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,400 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 1, 1997
- Maximum gross weight: 1,475 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PAHO Homer AK at 10:00 pm
- Destination: 5NK Naknek AK
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 35, 4,800 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,400 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 pm from PAI
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.
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.