Cessna 180 accident near Clarks Point, Alaska, November 14, 2000
On November 14, 2000 at about 3:00 pm local time, a Cessna 180, registered N1681C, was substantially damaged in an accident near Clarks Point, Alaska (Clark'S Point airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's excessive application of the brakes during landing roll. Factors associated with the accident were water on the runway, low tire pressure, a sheared tire valve stem, and a fractured landing gear axle.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 14, 2000 · about 3:00 pm local time · cases in 2000
- Place
- Clarks Point, Alaska · Clark'S Point · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180 · all 180s on the register
- Registration
- N1681C · registry record · serial 30381
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The certificated private pilot was landing a tundra tire equipped airplane, on a gravel-covered runway that had about 2 or 3 inches of standing water stretching lengthwise along the right side of the runway. During the landing roll, as the right main wheel entered the water, the pilot applied the brakes, and the right wheel began to hydroplane and stop turning. As the airplane continued down the runway, the right wheel exited the standing water, and contacted the gravel surface of the runway. The pilot explained that the force of the non-rotating wheel contacting the gravel runway sheared the right tire's valve stem, and the right tire instantly deflated. The deflated right tire 'grabbed' and the right axle broke. The right wing struck the runway and sustained substantial damage to the leading edge, and main spar. In his written report to the NTSB, the pilot wrote: 'The air pressure in the tire may have been a little low, due to the cold weather we had earlier.'
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; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 8,000 hours in all; 1,500 in this make and model; 60 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,826 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 1, 2000; 10 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: 5NK Naknek AK at 2:00 pm
- Destination: CLP Clarks Point AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 26, 2,600 ft by 70 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 15 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 5,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N1681C on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna 180 Skywagon 2,605 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,684 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental O-470-A 5 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Clarks Point Airport · nearest airport
- Naknek Airport · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Alaska 5,932 since 1982 · 826 in the last ten years
- Alaska 9,146 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ANC01LA019.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.