Cessna 180 accident near Mccarthy, Alaska, October 10, 2003
On October 10, 2003 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Cessna 180, registered N9278C, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mccarthy, Alaska. 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 separation of the left main landing gear wheel from the gear leg, which resulted in a loss of directional control, and collapse of the right main landing gear. A factor contributing to the accident was the rough and uneven airstrip.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 10, 2003 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Mccarthy, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180 · all 180s on the register
- Registration
- N9278C · no longer on the register · serial 31377
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was carrying supplies to a remote airstrip. On approximately the tenth landing of the day, the left main landing gear wheel separated from the gear leg. The airplane veered to the left, and the right main landing gear collapsed. The left main landing gear leg fractured through the upper wheel mounting-bolt holes. The landing strip is gravel covered and rough. The airplane sustained structural damage to the fuselage and right wing.
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
- Flight time: 1,140 hours in all; 199 in this make and model; 55 in the last 90 days; 21 in the last 30 days; 1,017 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: December 20, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,272.2 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 1, 2003; 130 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-K (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: AK0 Mccarthy AK at 5:20 pm
- Destination: Mccarthy AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 1, 2,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 19°F (-7°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.
Other NTSB records under N9278C 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.