Cessna 180F accident near Cordova, Alaska, September 4, 1985
On September 4, 1985 at about 3:05 pm local time, a Cessna 180F, registered N25722, was substantially damaged in an accident near Cordova, Alaska (Cordova 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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 4, 1985 · about 3:05 pm local time · cases in 1985
- Place
- Cordova, Alaska · Cordova · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180F · all 180Fs on the register
- Registration
- N25722 · registry record · serial 51274
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT REPORTED THAT IMMEDIATELY AFTER TAKING OFF, HE SEEMED TO LOSE AILERON CONTROL. HE DECIDED TO ABORT THE TAKEOFF & LAND ON THE REMAINING RWY. AFTER TOUCHING DOWN NEAR THE DEPARTURE END, HE ELECTED TO TURN THE ACFT TO THE LEFT TOWARD AN ACCESS ROAD RATHER THAN TO CONTINUE AHEAD INTO WATER. THE ACFT ENCOUNTERED A DITCH, THEN WENT ONTO LOOSE GRAVEL. THE BRAKES LOCKED ON THE LOOSE GRAVEL, THEN THE TIRES CAUGHT ON HARD GROUND & THE ACFT NOSED OVER. AN EXAM OF THE FLT CONTROLS WAS MADE, BUT NO PREIMPACT MECHANICAL FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION WAS FOUND.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 644 hours in all; 178 in this make and model; 117 in the last 90 days; 80 in the last 30 days; 644 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,806 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 17, 1985; 117 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 24, 1,900 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 10°F (-12°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.
Other NTSB records under N25722 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N25722 on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna 180 Skywagon 2,604 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,677 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental O-470 12,780 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Cordova Municipal · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Alaska 5,932 since 1982 · 825 in the last ten years
- Alaska 9,142 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N25722 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ANC85LA170.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.