Cessna 180 accident near Iliamna, Alaska, March 28, 2001
On March 28, 2001 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Cessna 180, registered N91303, was substantially damaged in an accident near Iliamna, Alaska. 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's selection of an unsuitable landing area. A factor associated with the accident was uneven terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 28, 2001 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Iliamna, Alaska · 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
- N91303 · no longer on the register · serial 180-52039
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The certificated airline transport pilot reported that he was landing to the northeast on a frozen slough. He said that after touchdown, he noted a football-sized clump of dirt protruding out of the ice in front of the airplane. He said that in an attempt to avoid the dirt clump, he applied full left rudder. He said that the nose of the airplane moved about 20 degrees to the left, but the ground track of the airplane continued in a straight line, and the right ski struck the dirt clump. The right main landing gear collapsed, and the right wing struck the surface of the frozen slough. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, right wing leading edge and right wing main spar.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 33,500 hours in all; 565 in this make and model; 95 in the last 90 days; 45 in the last 30 days; 32,000 as pilot in command; 1,500 on instruments
- Last flight review: February 25, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,354.3 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 22, 2001; 14 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-520 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ILI Iliamna AK at 4:00 pm
- Destination: Iliamna AK
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 1000 statute miles
- Temperature: 19°F (-7°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
Other NTSB records under N91303 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.