Cessna 172L accident near Anchorage, Alaska, July 18, 2009
On July 18, 2009 at about 6:00 am local time, a Cessna 172L, registered N7136Q, was substantially damaged in an accident during taxi (from runway) near Anchorage, Alaska (Lake Hood Strip airport). 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 unfamiliarity with the airport environment, which resulted in his taxiing the airplane onto a no-taxi section of roadway and into a road sign. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's failure to avail himself of additional information that described the appropriate taxi routes on the airport.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 18, 2009 · about 6:00 am local time
- Place
- Anchorage, Alaska · Lake Hood Strip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172L · all 172Ls on the register
- Registration
- N7136Q · registry record · serial 17260436
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said that after landing he was attempting to taxi to another nearby airport to park and was confused by the taxi instructions given by the airport ground controller. He inadvertently taxied onto a roadway and that the setting sun, which was in his eyes, caused him not to see a warning sign on the right side of the roadway; the airplane's right wing then struck the sign. The pilot had exited the runway's parallel taxiway at midfield onto an airplane parking and fueling area. He taxied to a road transiting the parking area, and turned northwest on the road. The road narrowed at the boundary of the parking area and the pilot passed a "No Taxi" sign located on the left side of the road. The route from the runway to parking is along nonmovement areas, and progressive taxi instructions were thus not available. An interactive airport web site with detailed parking information and taxi diagrams was available on the internet. The appropriate route was to proceed west on the parallel taxiway to the taxilane which crosses the road taken by the pilot. The sign the airplane hit had flashing amber lights and warned of the taxilane crossing. A review of the published Federal Aviation Administration Alaska airports supplement for taxi instructions at the airport revealed the "taxiway is a joint use taxi/road and is used by motor vehicles/bicycles/joggers and tour buses."
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
What happened, in order
- Navigation error during taxi (from runway) defining event
- Ground collision during taxi (from runway)
The NTSB's findings
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Light condition › Glare › Contributed to outcome
- factor Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of available resources › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Experience/knowledge › Knowledge › Knowledge of procedures › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 7,800 hours in all; 200 in this make and model; 4,000 as pilot in command; 1,300 on instruments
- Last flight review: June 8, 2009
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,659 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 5, 2009
- Maximum gross weight: 2,500 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Smokey Bay Air
The flight
- Departed from: HOM Homer AK at 11:45 pm
- Destination: Z41 Anchorage AK
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 31, 2,200 ft by 70 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 6,500 ft; scat
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.88 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.