Cessna 152 accident near Chugiak, Alaska, March 4, 1988
On March 4, 1988, a Cessna 152, registered N96082, was substantially damaged in an accident near Chugiak, Alaska (Birchwood airport). It was an instructional 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
- March 4, 1988
- 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 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N96082 · no longer on the register · serial 15286004
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR WAS GIVING DUAL INSTRUCTION TO A STUDENT PILOT ON NIGHT LANDINGS. ON THE SIXTH TOUCH-AND-GO LANDING, THE INSTRUCTOR TURNED THE LANDING LIGHT OFF FOR A NO-LIGHT LANDING. THE STUDENT LANDED THE AIRCRAFT TO THE RIGHT OF CENTERLINE, AND BEFORE A CORRECTION COULD BE MADE TOWARDS THE CENTER OF THE RUNWAY, THE AIRPLANE STRUCK DEEP, UNPLOWED SNOW ABOUT FOUR FEET INSIDE THE RUNWAY PERIMETER LIGHTS AND NOSED-DOWN. THE INSTRUCTOR AND STUDENT WERE BOTH UNAWARE THAT THE RUNWAY HAD NOT BEEN COMPLETELY PLOWED. AN OFFICIAL FLIGHT PUBLICATION LISTS THE AIRPORT AS UNATTENDED AND UNMONITORED, AND RECOMMENDS A VISUAL INSPECTION PRIOR TO LANDING. THE INSTRUCTOR RECOMMENDED THAT NO-LIGHT LANDINGS SHOULD BE ATTEMPTED ONLY UNDER IDEAL RUNWAY/WEATHER CONDITIONS.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,355 hours in all; 765 in this make and model; 80 in the last 90 days; 1,257 as pilot in command; 920 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,900 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 2, 1988; 3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-N2C (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Elmendorf Aero Club
The flight
- Departed from: EDF Anchorage AK at 11:20 pm
- Runway 19, 4,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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 N96082 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.