Cessna 180 accident near Anchorage, Alaska, April 15, 1984
On April 15, 1984 at about 5:30 pm local time, a Cessna 180, registered N4747U, was destroyed in an accident near Anchorage, Alaska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries; 2 others were unhurt. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 15, 1984 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- Anchorage, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries; 2 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180 · all 180s on the register
- Registration
- N4747U · no longer on the register · serial 18051447
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT ENCOUNTERED IMC WX CONDITIONS & ELECTED TO MAKE A WATER LANDING. ALSO, HE STATED THAT HE ENCOUNTERED A WHITE-OUT CONDITION JUST PRIOR TO LANDING. SHORTLY AFTER TOUCHING DOWN, THE ACFT STRUCK A SAND BAR & NOSED OVER.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 2,000 hours in all; 2,000 in this make and model; 42 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 2,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,000 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 3, 1983; 130 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Montague I'S AK at 12:40 pm
- Destination: ENA Kenai AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 15 knots, gusting 25
- Sky: not recorded at 50 ft
- Temperature: 23°F (-5°C), dew point 19°F (-7°C)
- Observation at 1:15 pm from ANC, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
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.