Cessna 180 accident near Skwentna, Alaska, August 25, 2007
On August 25, 2007 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Cessna 180, registered N1560C, was destroyed 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate compensation for wind conditions during takeoff initial climb, which resulted in the airplane descending uncontrolled into high vegetation. Factors contributing to the accident were wind gusts and a crosswind.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 25, 2007 · about 7:00 pm 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
- N1560C · no longer on the register · serial 30260
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private certificated pilot was taking off from an unimproved, off-airport site in a tailwheel-equipped airplane under Title 14, CFR Part 91, when the accident occurred. The pilot reported that he was taking off in gusty crosswind conditions, and a gust "caught the left wing pushing me to the ground." He also said the right landing gear wheel caught in the brush, pulling the airplane to the ground. The airplane impacted the ground, rolled onto its left side, and was destroyed by a postcrash fire.
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: 650 hours in all; 625 in this make and model; 98 in the last 90 days; 46 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: December 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,200 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 1, 2007
- Maximum gross weight: 2,500 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: Skwentna AK
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 10 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 39°F (4°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.
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.