Cessna 150 accident near Cantwell, Alaska, April 22, 2001
On April 22, 2001 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Cessna 150, registered N8401J, was substantially damaged in an accident near Cantwell, Alaska (Summit airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's selection of unsuitable terrain for landing and subsequent nose over during the landing flare. Factors in the accident were soft, snow-covered terrain on the runway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 22, 2001 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Cantwell, Alaska · Summit · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150 · all 150s on the register
- Registration
- N8401J · registry record · serial 15066301
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial certificated pilot was on a cross-country personal flight, and decided to land at the accident airport for a short break. He said he over-flew the runway and it appeared to him as snow-covered, but smooth. The pilot then landed on runway 21. As the airplane touched down, the landing gear immediately sank into about 12 inches of snow, and the airplane nosed over. The airplane received damage to the vertical stabilizer, wings, and the aft cabin bulkhead. The Alaska Supplement/Airport Facility Directory states, in part: "Unattended. Runway condition not monitored, recommend visual inspection prior to landing... No winter maintenance."
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 467 hours in all; 50 in this make and model; 43 in the last 90 days; 23 in the last 30 days; 360 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: January 8, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,800 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 30, 2001; 30 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PAMR Anchorage AK at 12:45 pm
- Destination: PAFA Fairbanks AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 21, 3,840 ft by 80 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 11,000 ft
- Temperature: 50°F (10°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.