Cessna 180B accident near Anchorage, Alaska, September 14, 2024
On September 14, 2024, a 1959 Cessna 180B, registered N5275E, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Anchorage, Alaska (Lake Hood airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s encounter with wake turbulence, which resulted in substantial damage to the airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 14, 2024
- Place
- Anchorage, Alaska · Lake Hood · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180B, built 1959 · all 180Bs on the register
- Registration
- N5275E · registry record · serial 50575
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported he was inbound to land and was waiting for a break in chatter on the radio to contact the air traffic control tower. He was about 7 miles from the airport, and about 1,050 ft mean sea level when he encountered wake turbulence presumably from a Boeing 747 inbound to an adjacent runway. He stated the airplane violently dropped and he struck his head on the ceiling. He was able to maintain control of the airplane and land uneventfully. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing. The pilot reported there were no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies 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
- Aircraft wake turb encounter during enroute defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Turbulence › Wake turbulence › Effect on equipment
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Turbulence › Wake turbulence › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 26,000 hours in all; 1,700 in this make and model; 35 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 7,500 as pilot in command; 1,600 on instruments
- Last flight review: June 30, 2024
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,116 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 1, 2024
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-K (piston); 2,900 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: pvt Beluga AK at 11:30 pm
- Destination: LHD Anchorage AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway W, 4,541 ft by 188 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 4,700 ft
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 29.50 inHg
- Observation at 3:53 am from ALH, 4 miles away
Weather report (METAR): PALH 131153Z 00000KT 10SM OVC047 10/10 A2950 RMK AO2 SLP991 70085 T01000100 10106 20100 51016
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 3 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
Photograph 1 – View of damage to the bottom of right wing
Photograph 2 – View of the top of the right wing missing vortex generators
Photograph 3 – View of damage to right sparThe NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on June 5, 2025. 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, 10 pages | View Download |
| 2 | FAA Inspector's Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Photos | PDF, 4 pages · our copy | 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.