Cessna 180 accident near Anchor Point, Alaska, July 24, 2006
On July 24, 2006 at about 8:30 pm local time, a Cessna 180, registered N9588B, was substantially damaged in an accident near Anchor Point, Alaska. It was a positioning 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate compensation for wind conditions, which resulted in a collision with high brush during the landing flare. A factor contributing to the accident was wind gusts.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 24, 2006 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- Anchor Point, 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
- N9588B · registry record · serial 32885
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While en route to a remote landing area, on a Title 14, CFR Part 91 positioning flight, the commercial certificated pilot reported that he noticed a tailwind of about 30 knots from the north. At the area of landing, other pilots reported downdrafts in an area of beach that was close to the water, which was the pilot's initial intended landing zone. The pilot decided to land on an area of inner beach that was about 800 feet long, and 60 feet wide. During the landing flare, a gust of wind pushed the airplane to the left, and the left wing collided with high brush, spinning the airplane to the left. The airplane received structural damage to both wings, and the right main landing gear.
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: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,000 hours in all; 3,500 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-520 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Smith Air Charters
The flight
- Departed from: Z41 Anchorage AK
- Destination: Anchor Point AK
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 30 knots, gusting 35
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°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 N9588B the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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 ANC06CA097.