Cessna 180 accident near Willow, Alaska, April 22, 1985
On April 22, 1985 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Cessna 180, registered N5206E, was substantially damaged in an accident near Willow, Alaska (Willow 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).
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 22, 1985 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Willow, Alaska · Willow · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180 · all 180s on the register
- Registration
- N5206E · no longer on the register · serial 50506
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT STATED THAT THE ACFT ENCOUNTERED A DOWNDRAFT WHILE HE WAS ON FINAL APCH FOR A TOUCH-&-GO LANDING. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT TOUCHED DOWN IN WET SNOW ABOUT 30 YARDS SHORT OF THE RWY & NOSED OVER. THE PLT ESTIMATED THE WIND WAS FROM 010 DEG AT 5 KTS.
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
- Flight time: 362 hours in all; 120 in this make and model; 3 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,902 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 15, 1984; 30 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-K (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ANC Anchorage AK at 5:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 31, 4,600 ft by 105 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 010° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 60 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 3:00 pm
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.