Cessna 180 accident near Skwentna, Alaska, August 8, 2007
On August 8, 2007 at about 1:30 am local time, a Cessna 180, registered N7741A, was substantially damaged in an accident near Skwentna, 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the left brake, and the pilot's continued operation with a known defect (the left brake), which resulted in a loss of control during the landing roll, and an on ground encounter with terrain. A contributing factor to the accident was the pilot's inadvertent ground loop.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 8, 2007 · about 1:30 am local time
- Place
- Skwentna, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180 · all 180s on the register
- Registration
- N7741A · registry record · serial 32638
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial certificated pilot was delivering supplies to his lodge on a private, 1,200 foot long, dirt airstrip under Title 14, CFR Part 91, when the accident occurred. He said when he landed the left brake failed, and as he approached the end of the airstrip, he attempted a 180-degree turn, but the airplane ground-looped, and struck the right wing on the ground. The pilot said that on previous flights he had to pump-up the left brake due to a leaking master cylinder. The airplane sustained structural damage to the right wing during the accident.
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; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 14,000 hours in all; 6,000 in this make and model; 120 in the last 90 days; 40 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: May 1, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,800 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 1, 2007
- Maximum gross weight: 2,600 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Z41 Lake Hood Strip AK
- Destination: Skwentna AK
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 10 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 39°F (4°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.
Other NTSB records under N7741A 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 ANC07CA075.