Cessna 182 accident near Chugiak, Alaska, July 1, 2018
On July 1, 2018 at about 2:15 am local time, a 1958 Cessna 182, registered N5020D, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Chugiak, Alaska (Birchwood 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 mismanagement of the engine controls due to distraction in the traffic pattern, which resulted in a hard landing short of the runway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 1, 2018 · about 2:15 am local time
- Place
- Chugiak, Alaska · Birchwood · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182 A, built 1958 · all 182s on the register
- Registration
- N5020D · registry record · serial 51120
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that, while performing a high-speed taxi to evaluate an erratic airspeed indicator, the airplane began to porpoise, so she performed a takeoff and maneuvered the airplane around the traffic pattern to land. The pilot was distracted by other airplanes in the traffic pattern and did not perform the landing checklist and felt "behind" the airplane. On final approach, she pushed in the throttle control to correct for a rapid descent rate; however, the engine did not respond, and the airplane landed hard in gravel short of the intended runway. The pilot added that, after the impact, she noted that the mixture control was fully out and that she may have pulled out the wrong engine control during the approach. A witness on the ground reported that the airplane descended rapidly in a flat attitude with the propeller rotating slowly. The witness responded to the accident scene and noted that the mixture, throttle, and propeller controls were all pulled out and that the pilot could not explain how that happened, but she did state that she was very distracted while flying in the pattern. The pilot stated that she had not flown for about 8 months and had no intent to fly that day. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage.
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
- Miscellaneous/other during approach
- Landing area undershoot during landing
- Hard landing during landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine controls › Mixture control › Incorrect use/operation
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Attention › Pilot
- factor Personnel issues › Experience/knowledge › Knowledge › Knowledge of equipment › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 600 hours in all; 150 in this make and model; 560 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: July 17, 2017
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,703 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 10, 2017; 14 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental Motors O-470-L (piston); 4,150 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BCV Chugiak AK
- Destination: BCV Chugiak AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 20R, 4,010 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 8,500 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.01 inHg
- Observation at 5:56 am from PABV
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
4 documents, released by the NTSB on April 21, 2020. 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 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Record of Converstion (Pilot) | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Record of Conversation (Witness) | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Photos | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.