Cessna 180H accident near Mccarthy, Alaska, November 21, 2023
On November 21, 2023 at about 9:00 pm local time, a 1969 Cessna 180H, registered N91393, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Mccarthy, Alaska (Mccarthy airport). It was a business flight under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 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 loss of directional control after touchdown which resulted in substantial damage to the right wing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 21, 2023 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Mccarthy, Alaska · Mccarthy · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180H, built 1969 · all 180Hs on the register
- Registration
- N91393 · registry record · serial 18052063
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While landing a wheel/ski-equipped airplane on a snow and ice-covered runway, after touchdown, the airplane began to slide to the right side of the runway. The pilot reported that the edge of a ski impacted a lip of ice which caused the airplane to nose down, and the right wing subsequently struck the ground, resulting in substantial damage. The pilot reported that there were no pre-accident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane 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 defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surface › Snow/slush/ice covered surface › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,674 hours in all; 315 in this make and model; 79 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days; 1,605 as pilot in command; 395 on instruments
- Last flight review: June 12, 2023
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,335.1 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 4, 2023
- Maximum gross weight: 3,190 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO520D116B (piston); 903 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PAGK Gulkana AK at 6:43 pm
- Runway 01, 3,501 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: -11°F (-24°C), dew point -17°F (-27°C)
- Altimeter: 29.62 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 am from AGK, 84 miles away
Weather report (METAR): PAGK 211953Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM CLR M24/M27 A2962 RMK AO2 SLP103 T12441272 TSNO
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on June 28, 2024. 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, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photos | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N91393 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.