Cessna 182A accident near Port Lions, Alaska, October 1, 2012
On October 1, 2012 at about 4:00 am local time, a Cessna 182A, registered N2028G, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Port Lions, Alaska (Shotgun Lake airport). It was a business 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 decision to take off with ice- and snow-contaminated wings.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 1, 2012 · about 4:00 am local time
- Place
- Port Lions, Alaska · Shotgun Lake · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182A · all 182As on the register
- Registration
- N2028G · no longer on the register · serial 51328
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Prior to departure, the commercial pilot attempted to remove ice and snow contamination from the wings of the float-equipped airplane, but some contamination remained. During the takeoff run, the airplane failed to become airborne before reaching the end of the lake. The airplane slid along a gravel spillway for several hundred feet before nosing over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings, empennage, and fuselage. The pilot stated that there were no preaccident anomalies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot noted that the accident might have been avoided if he had removed all the frozen contamination from the wing or waited for above-freezing temperatures.
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
- Structural icing during takeoff defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during takeoff
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Temp/humidity/pressure › Conducive to structural icing › Decision related to condition
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,725 hours in all; 1,296 in this make and model; 3 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 1,617 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 12, 2011
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,855 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 27, 2012
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor O-470 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PVT Port Lions AK at 11:05 pm
- Destination: 9Z3 Kodiak AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 2,400 ft by 500 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 310° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.07 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 pm from PADQ, 18 miles away
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.