Cessna 180 accident near Fairbanks, Alaska, July 30, 2005
On July 30, 2005 at about 6:30 pm local time, a Cessna 180, registered N3188C, was destroyed in an accident near Fairbanks, Alaska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain sufficient altitude/clearance from objects and terrain during cruise flight, which resulted in an in-flight collision with tree-covered terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 30, 2005 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Fairbanks, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180 · all 180s on the register
- Registration
- N3188C · no longer on the register · serial 30987
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot departed on a Title 14, CFR Part 91 cross-country personal flight en route to his remote lodge, so that his sole passenger, a heavy equipment mechanic, could work on equipment at the lodge. When the flight did not return at the prearranged time, an aerial and ground search was initiated. The wreckage was located 6 days later along the pilot's intended route, about 37 miles from the departure airport, and about 7 miles north of the pilot's remote lodge. The airplane had collided with tree covered terrain. A postimpact fire incinerated the airplane. Family members of the pilot reported that the pilot had undergone heart bypass surgery about 3 months before the accident. At the time of the accident, the pilot did not possess a valid medical certificate. A friend of the passenger reported that prior to departure, at the direction of the pilot, the airplane was loaded with six 5-gallon (plastic) fuel containers of diesel fuel, a 150 pound iron stove, the mechanic's tools, several bags of groceries, and a large cooler/ice chest. The friend reported that on previous flights with the accident pilot, the passenger felt uncomfortable because, "[the pilot] would never put a seat in for him." She said that he would routinely be required to sit on a plastic bucket or a small ice chest during the flight to the remote lodge. A single seat frame, located adjacent to the pilot's station, was discovered within the burned wreckage. The estimated gross weight of the airplane at the time of the accident was approximately 2,837 pounds, or about 287 pounds over the allowable gross weight. A toxicological examination of the pilot revealed the presence of Fluoxetine (trade name Prozac), a prescription antidepressant drug, whose usage is prohibited by the FAA.
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
- Flight time: 3,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,145.5 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 1, 2004; 58.4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-L (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: North Pole AK at 12:45 pm
- Destination: Fairbanks AK
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 11,000 ft
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 29.79 inHg
- Observation at 1:56 pm from FAI, 37 miles away
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.
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.