Cessna 180 accident near Skwentna, Alaska, March 10, 2024
On March 10, 2024 at about 5:00 pm local time, a 1956 Cessna 180, registered N7741A, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Skwentna, Alaska (Talaheim 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control while taxiing, which resulted in a collision with trees.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 10, 2024 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Skwentna, Alaska · Talaheim · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180, built 1956 · all 180s on the register
- Registration
- N7741A · registry record · serial 32638
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot of a ski-equipped airplane reported that while taxiing on a snow-covered airstrip for takeoff, the left ski hit a snow drift which pulled the airplane off the runway and into a tree. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings. The pilot reported no pre-impact mechanical malfunctions or failures 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 takeoff 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
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 20,000 hours in all; 7,800 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: August 25, 2023
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 2,600 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor O-470 SERIES (piston); 1,100 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18/3, 950 ft by 35 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 28°F (-2°C), dew point 18°F (-8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.09 inHg
- Observation at 10:56 am from AWS, 53 miles away
Weather report (METAR): PAWS 101956Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM OVC080 M02/M08 A2909 RMK AO2 SLP856 T10171083 FZRANO
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on December 2, 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, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Mor No Photos | PDF, 1 page | 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 N7741A the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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 ANC24LA018.