Cessna 175A accident near Anchorage, Alaska, September 6, 1987
On September 6, 1987 at about 1:38 am local time, a Cessna 175A, registered N6921E, was substantially damaged in an accident near Anchorage, Alaska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. 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 6, 1987 · about 1:38 am local time
- Place
- Anchorage, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 175A · all 175As on the register
- Registration
- N6921E · no longer on the register · serial 56421
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT CONTACTED A ROW OF TREES AND CRASHED IN A RESIDENTIAL AREA SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF. THE PILOT REPORTED, THAT A DOWNDRAFT WAS ENCOUNTERED AFTER ESTABLISHING A POSITIVE RATE OF CLIMB ON TAKEOFF. AIRSPEED DECREASED WHEN THE DOWNDRAFT WAS ENCOUNTERED AND THE PILOT CONTINUED FLYING THE ACFT JUST ABOVE STALL SPEED. THE AIRCRAFT CLEARED AN INITIAL GROUP OF TREES AFTER WHICH IT CONTACTED THE TOPS OF TWO PINE TREES WHICH WERE APRX 78 FT TALL. THE ACFT THEN STALLED AND DESCENDED TO IMPACT WITH THE TERRAIN.
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: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 847 hours in all; 22 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 705 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,659 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 15, 1987; 30 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,450 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Anchorage AK at 8:37 pm
- Destination: Belvoa Lake AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 60 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 20,000 ft; not recorded at 20,000 ft
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.