Cessna 180 accident near Anchorage, Alaska, April 25, 2005
On April 25, 2005 at about 8:45 pm local time, a Cessna 180, registered N4563B, was substantially damaged in an accident near Anchorage, Alaska (Merrill Field). 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 pilot's failure to compensate for a crosswind during the landing roll, which resulted in a loss of control and the airplane nosing over. A factor associated with the accident was a crosswind, and an inadvertent ground loop.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 25, 2005 · about 8:45 pm local time
- Place
- Anchorage, Alaska · Merrill Field · 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
- N4563B · registry record · serial 31462
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial pilot reported he was landing the tundra tire-equipped tailwheel airplane on a dry, paved runway, with a slight crosswind from his right. During the landing touchdown, the airplane bounced slightly and settled onto the right main tire. The pilot was unable to maintain directional control, and the airplane went off the runway to the left, ground looped to the left, and nosed over. The airplane sustained structural damage to the wings, fuselage, and empennage. The pilot noted there were no preaccident mechanical problems with the airplane. A weather observation taken at the time of the accident consisted of: Sky conditions and ceiling, clear; visibility, 10 statute miles; wind, 280 degrees (magnetic) at 5 knots.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,500 hours in all; 4,000 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: AQY Girdwood AK at 2:00 pm
- Destination: MRI Anchorage AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 24
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.17 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 am from MRI
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 N4563B 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.