Cub Crafters INC CC18-180 accident near Anchorage, Alaska, October 19, 2014
On October 19, 2014 at about 11:30 pm local time, a 2013 Cub Crafters INC CC18-180, registered N537CC, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Anchorage, Alaska. It was a public-use flight (federal) under public-use (government) rules. 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 failure to maintain directional control while attempting to drag an off-airport landing site.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 19, 2014 · about 11:30 pm local time · cases in 2014
- Place
- Anchorage, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cub Crafters INC CC18-180, built 2013 · all CC18-180s on the register
- Registration
- N537CC · registry record · serial CC18-0061
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Public-use flight (federal) · public-use (government) rules
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial pilot was conducting a cross-country public aircraft flight. He stated that he was making a straight-in approach to the off-airport landing site that was wet and soft with the intention of dragging the landing surface. Upon touchdown, the airplane bounced slightly, settled back to the surface, and then veered left. Unable to correct for the veer, the pilot applied full power in an attempt to initiate a go-around, but the airplane impacted the elevated edge of a creek bank and then came to rest upright in the water, which resulted in substantial damage to the left wing, elevators, and rudder. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Loss of control on ground during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during approach (VFR go-around)
The NTSB's findings
- 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
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surface › Soft › Effect on equipment
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 2,246 hours in all; 52 in this make and model; 2,149 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 5, 2013
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 247.3 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 16, 2014
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-C4P (piston); 247 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PASX Soldotna AK
- Destination: Anchorage AK
- Flight plan: VFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 18,000 ft; a few clouds at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 41°F (5°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.11 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
8 documents, released by the NTSB on January 29, 2016. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GPS - Specialists Factual Report (4 Embedded Images) | PDF, 6 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Attachment 1 - GPS Specialists Factual Report | spreadsheet | Download |
| 3 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Pilot's Statement | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Record of Conversation - Pilot | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Record of Conversation - Pilot | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 7 | Record of Conversation - Passenger | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 8 | Statement of Party Representatives to NTSB Investigation | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N537CC on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cub Crafters Inc CC18 51 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-C4P 102 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Soldotna Airport · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Alaska 5,932 since 1982 · 825 in the last ten years
- Alaska 9,142 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ANC15TA003.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.