Cessna 150C accident near Juneau, Alaska, December 13, 2012
On December 13, 2012 at about 6:09 pm local time, a Cessna 150C, registered N1901Z, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Juneau, Alaska (Juneau International Airport). It was an instructional 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 collapse of the left main landing gear during the landing roll, as a result of fatigue cracking. Contributing to the accident was the improper maintenance of the landing gear.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 13, 2012 · about 6:09 pm local time
- Place
- Juneau, Alaska · Juneau International Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150C · all 150Cs on the register
- Registration
- N1901Z · registry record · serial 15059701
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor was demonstrating a short field, three-point landing. The touchdown was normal, but during the landing roll a gust of wind pushed the airplane, and it began to turn to the right. The instructor applied left brake in an attempt to correct for the right turn, and the airplane’s left main landing gear broke. As the broken gear leg dug into the runway, the airplane pivoted 180 degrees to the left, and the left wing struck the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing and fuselage. The flight instructor stated that during the last annual inspection, about 4 months before the accident, he observed corrosion on the main landing gear legs and ground it off using a hand-held grinder. The service manual specified to carefully remove any rust by light sanding; the sanding must blend the damage into the adjacent area in an approximate 20:1 ratio. Examination of the landing gear revealed evidence of the improper maintenance and corrosion damage, which weakened the gear and led to fatigue cracking and an overstress fracture.
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
- Landing gear collapse during landing (landing roll) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Main landing gear › Failure
- factor Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Main landing gear › Incorrect service/maintenance
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,000 hours in all; 561 in this make and model; 26 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 6,000 as pilot in command; 5,000 on instruments
- Last flight review: September 27, 2012
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 166 hours in all; 48 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 22 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,911 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 17, 2012
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor O-200 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Alaska Flight Center INC
The flight
- Departed from: JNU Juneau AK
- Destination: Juneau AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 08, 8,457 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,900 ft; a few clouds at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 32°F (0°C)
- Altimeter: 29.44 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from JNU
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
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.
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 ANC13LA016.