Cessna 180 accident near Tutna Lake, Alaska, September 15, 1985
On September 15, 1985 at about 2:00 am local time, a Cessna 180, registered N2490C, was substantially damaged in an accident near Tutna Lake, Alaska. 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
- September 15, 1985 · about 2:00 am local time
- Place
- Tutna Lake, Alaska
- 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
- N2490C · registry record · serial 30790
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT ELECTED TO TAKEOFF FROM A LAKE THAT WAS APRX 1/2 MI LONG & ORIENTED ON AN EAST/WEST HEADING. DURING A X-WIND TAKEOFF, THE PLT HAD DIFFICULTY GETTING THE ACFT TO LIFT OFF, BUT ELECTED TO CONTINUE THE TAKEOFF. THE ACFT FINALLY LIFTED OFF, BUT FAILED TO ACCELERATE SUFFICIENTLY IN GROUND EFFECT. SUBSEQUENTLY, IT MUSHED INTO A TUNDRA HILL WHILE STILL FLYING IN GROUND EFFECT. THE PLT STATED HE THAT WAS FATIGUED & WAS OVERCONFIDENT IN BOTH HIMSELF & HIS ACFT. HE STATED THAT HE SHOULD HAVE WAITED UNTIL THE WIND WAS ALONG THE AXIS OF THE LAKE AND/OR HE SHOULD HAVE REPOSITIONED HIS ACFT ON A BIGGER LAKE BEFORE HAULING THE CARGO.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 6,500 hours in all; 804 in this make and model; 127 in the last 90 days; 6,120 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,874 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection; 70 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,700 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-L (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: Mulchatna River AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 55°F (13°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.