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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 8, 2002 · about 10:30 pm local time · cases in 2002
- Place
- Fairbanks, Alaska · Blair Lake · cases near this airport · 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
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N2162Z on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna 180 Skywagon 2,604 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,682 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental O-470-R 107 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Blair Lake Airport · nearest airport
- Bradley Sky-Ranch Airport · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Alaska 5,932 since 1982 · 825 in the last ten years
- Alaska 9,142 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N2162Z 2 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ANC02LA072.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.