Cessna 180 accident near Petersburg, Alaska, December 13, 2002
On December 13, 2002 at about 12:44 pm local time, a Cessna 180, registered N9701G, was destroyed in an accident near Petersburg, Alaska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
An in flight collision with ocean water for an undetermined reason.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 13, 2002 · about 12:44 pm local time
- Place
- Petersburg, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180 · all 180s on the register
- Registration
- N9701G · no longer on the register · serial 18052201
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A solo private pilot departed from an inland coastal town in a float-equipped airplane for a daylong trip. The pilot's proposed flight path would have covered an extensive area over open ocean water. When the airplane failed to return, an extensive search failed to find the airplane. Eighteen days later, the body of the pilot was found along the shore of the area of water the pilot intended to cross. A post mortem examination determined the cause of death was drowning and noted blunt force trauma to the head and neck as a significant condition.
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: 900 hours in all; 150 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-470 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PAPG Petersburg AK at 12:26 pm
- Destination: PAPG Petersburg AK
- Flight plan: VFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 1,000 ft
- Temperature: 37°F (3°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.18 inHg
- Observation at 3:55 pm from PAPG
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.