Cessna 182A accident near Anchorage, Alaska, February 20, 2012
On February 20, 2012 at about 11:20 pm local time, a Cessna 182A, registered N6147B, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Anchorage, Alaska (Lake Hood Strip airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadvertent landing on a frozen lake in dark night conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 20, 2012 · about 11:20 pm local time
- Place
- Anchorage, Alaska · Lake Hood Strip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182A · all 182As on the register
- Registration
- N6147B · registry record · serial 34147
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was cleared to land his wheel-equipped airplane at a lighted gravel airstrip at night, when he mistakenly landed on a frozen, snow-covered lake used by ski-equipped airplanes. The lake was adjacent to the airstrip. During the landing roll, the airplane's wheels contacted deep snow, and it nosed over, sustaining substantial damage to the wings and fuselage. Airport rescue personnel reported that, when they arrived on scene, the pilot said that he had landed on the airstrip and that he was unaware that he had inadvertently landed on a frozen lake. He also said that he was familiar with the airstrip, as he had flown in and out of the airstrip for many years. The pilot indicated that there were no mechanical anomalies with the airplane.
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
- Nose over/nose down during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Identification/recognition › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Light condition › Dark › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,400 hours in all; 1,200 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 1,400 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 1, 2010; 30 hours since
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor O-470 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PAXS Soldotna AK at 10:00 pm
- Destination: Z41 Anchorage AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 31, 2,200 ft by 70 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,000 ft; ovct at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 28°F (-2°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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 N6147B the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.