Cessna 180 accident near Fairbanks, Alaska, June 8, 2002
On June 8, 2002 at about 10:30 pm local time, a Cessna 180, registered N2162Z, was substantially damaged in an accident near Fairbanks, Alaska (Blair Lake 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control of the airplane during the landing roll which resulted in the left wing striking the ground. A factor contributing to the accident was the grass-covered runway surface.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 8, 2002 · about 10:30 pm local time
- Place
- Fairbanks, Alaska · Blair Lake · 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
- N2162Z · registry record · serial 18051262
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airline transport certificated pilot was landing the tundra tire-equipped airplane on a remote turf airstrip. The pilot said he landed toward the southeast, and during the landing roll, the airplane yawed slightly to the left. He applied the right brake, but the airplane began to slide to the left on the grass-covered runway. The left tire went into an area of willows located along the left edge of the airstrip. The airplane's right brake suddenly became effective, and the airplane yawed/ground looped to the right. The left wing struck the ground, and the left wingtip was bent upward about 10 degrees. The airplane received damage to the left wing spar, the left aileron, and the fuselage.
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, military
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,976 hours in all; 165 in this make and model; 50 in the last 90 days; 17 in the last 30 days; 2,610 as pilot in command; 1,365 on instruments
- Last flight review: January 17, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,400 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 31, 2002; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 95Z North Pole AK at 5:10 pm
- Destination: 2AK1 Fairbanks AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 12, 1,500 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 15,000 ft; scat at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°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 N2162Z the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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 ANC02LA072.