Cessna 180 accident near Chugiak, Alaska, November 12, 1984
On November 12, 1984 at about 4:30 pm local time, a Cessna 180, registered N9433C, was substantially damaged in an accident near Chugiak, Alaska (Birchwood airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 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 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
- November 12, 1984 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Chugiak, Alaska · Birchwood · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180 · all 180s on the register
- Registration
- N9433C · no longer on the register · serial 31831
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ACFT COLLIDED WITH TREES APRX 2,600 FT SHORT OF RWY 19 THRESHOLD DURING THE LANDING APCH. THE ACFT STOPPED 35-40 FT AGL IN TREES AND AFTER A FEW MINUTES FELL TO THE GROUND. A DESCENT WAS MADE FROM APRX 10,000 FT WITH A LEANED MIXTURE, CLOSED THROTTLE AND NO CARBURETOR HEAT USAGE. THE OATS RANGES FROM 0 DEG F AT GROUND LEVEL TO -27 TO -36 DEG F AT 10,000 FT. PLT STATED THAT WHEN HE ADVANCED THE THROTTLE DURING THE APCH A RESPONSE IN POWER WAS NOT RECEIVED.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 3,200 hours in all; 300 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days; 3,120 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,990 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 9, 1984; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-K (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Montague Island AK
- Destination: Z15 Chugiak AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 19, 4,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.