Cessna 180 accident near Anchorage, Alaska, October 8, 2000
On October 8, 2000 at about 2:10 am local time, a Cessna 180, registered N9306C, was substantially damaged in an accident near Anchorage, Alaska (Lake Hood Seaplane airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's delay in aborting the takeoff run. A factor associated with the accident was glassy water conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 8, 2000 · about 2:10 am local time
- Place
- Anchorage, Alaska · Lake Hood Seaplane · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180 · all 180s on the register
- Registration
- N9306C · registry record · serial 31704
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The certificated commercial pilot reported that as he started a southeasterly takeoff run, using the southeast water lane, the airplane's acceleration seemed slower than normal due to glassy water conditions. He said that as he neared the end of the water lane, just before the airplane became airborne, he elected to abort the takeoff run. He said that after he closed the throttle, the airplane stayed up on the step longer than he had anticipated, and subsequently struck the lakeshore, and a moored and unoccupied Cessna 185. The pilot said that there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,259 hours in all; 294 in this make and model; 56 in the last 90 days; 18 in the last 30 days; 2,130 as pilot in command; 560 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,871 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 14, 2000; 34 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,820 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-50 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LHD at 9:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 16, 1,930 ft by 200 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 7,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 28.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 pm from PAN
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ANC01LA005.