American Champion (Acac) 8GCBC accident near Anchorage, Alaska, August 1, 2006
On August 1, 2006 at about 1:00 am local time, a American Champion (Acac) 8GCBC, registered N35RF, was substantially damaged in an accident near Anchorage, Alaska (Goose Bay airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The flight instructor's failure to maintain sufficient airspeed to avoid a stall during a turn to reverse direction, which resulted in an inadvertent stall and a loss of control. Factors associated with the accident are the inadvertent stall, and the flight instructor's improper in-flight planning/decision to simulate a low altitude loss of engine power over water.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 1, 2006 · about 1:00 am local time
- Place
- Anchorage, Alaska · Goose Bay · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- American Champion (Acac) 8GCBC
- Registration
- N35RF · registry record · serial 438-2002
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial certificated flight instructor was giving primary flight instruction under Title 14, CFR Part 91 when the accident occurred. According to the student pilot, they were doing traffic pattern work at a gravel airstrip, when during initial climb from the runway, the instructor "pulled the engine" to simulate a loss of engine power emergency. The runway they were using required a departure over a saltwater inlet, and the only recourse was to execute a 180 degree turn toward the runway they had just departed. The student estimated they were 300-500 feet above the water when he initiated a standard rate turn. He said the instructor told him the turn was not steep enough, but because of the low altitude, the student did not feel comfortable increasing the angle of bank. The student said the instructor took control of the airplane, and dramatically increased the angle of bank. He said the airplane stalled, and dove toward the ground, with the instructor leveling the wings just as the airplane collided with trees adjacent to the runway. The student said the airplane's wings and fuselage received structural damage.
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
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: minor injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 40 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 545 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 1, 2006
- Maximum gross weight: 1,800 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-C1G (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MRI Merrill Field AK at 6:19 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 07, 3,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 10,000 ft; a few clouds at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 29.67 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 pm from MRI, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 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.