Cessna 180C accident near Igiugig, Alaska, September 10, 2005
On September 10, 2005 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Cessna 180C, registered N9254T, was substantially damaged in an accident near Igiugig, Alaska. 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).
Preview. This page is not yet listed for search engines.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the airplane's starter to disengage, which resulted in an overheated starter, smoke in the cockpit, and an emergency landing. A factor associated with the accident was soft terrain encountered during the emergency landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 10, 2005 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Igiugig, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180C · all 180Cs on the register
- Registration
- N9254T · registry record · serial 50754
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airline transport pilot was conducting a 14 CFR Part 91 personal cross-country flight when she smelled smoke in the cockpit. She flew to a small, rough airstrip in the area, while assessing the problem. Unable to isolate the problem, she elected to make a precautionary landing. During the landing the airplane encountered soft terrain and nosed over. Postcrash inspection of the airplane by an aircraft mechanic discovered that the engine starter had failed to disengage, resulting in an overheated starter and smoke in the cockpit.
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, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 11,410 hours in all; 630 in this make and model; 103 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days; 2,230 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 1, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,750 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 1, 2005; 40 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-L (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: IGG Iguigig AK at 4:00 pm
- Destination: PAHO Homer AK
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ANC05LA143.