Cessna 180A accident near Anchorage, Alaska, July 24, 2013
On July 24, 2013 at about 4:00 am local time, a 1957 Cessna 180A, registered N4814, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Anchorage, Alaska (Ted Stevens Anchorage Intl airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s loss of directional control of the airplane during a wheel landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 24, 2013 · about 4:00 am local time
- Place
- Anchorage, Alaska · Ted Stevens Anchorage Intl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180A, built 1957 · all 180As on the register
- Registration
- N4814 · registry record · serial 32847
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot had been cleared to land long on the runway as requested, but, because he became aware of a faster airplane that would be landing behind his airplane, he decided to land closer to the approach end so that he could exit the runway about midfield instead. The pilot reported that the new landing location resulted in an encounter with turbulence and a left crosswind from the lingering jet blast from a Boeing 747 that departed from an adjacent runway. The airplane veered sharply right during the wheel landing and ground-looped. The air traffic controller had included a "caution jet blast" advisory in the pilot's landing clearance, and Federal Aviation Administration guidance states that pilots conducting operations under visual flight rules are expected to adjust the flightpath, as necessary, to avoid wake encounters.
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
- Aircraft wake turb encounter during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
- Loss of control on ground during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › (general) › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,000 hours in all; 1,400 in this make and model; 1,500 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: July 6, 2013
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,400 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 31, 2013; 25 hours since
- 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: AK84 Sterling AK
- Destination: ANC Anchorage AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 07L, 10,600 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; a few clouds at 600 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.03 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 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.
Other NTSB records under N4814 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.