Cessna 180B accident near Fairbanks, Alaska, September 11, 1988
On September 11, 1988 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Cessna 180B, registered N3539E, was substantially damaged in an accident near Fairbanks, Alaska (Goldking Mining 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 11, 1988 · about 10:00 pm local time · cases in 1988
- Place
- Fairbanks, Alaska · Goldking Mining · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180B · all 180Bs on the register
- Registration
- N3539E · registry record · serial 50398
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT RPRTD THAT DRG AN ABORTED TAKEOFF, THE ACFT OVERRAN THE DEPARTURE END OF THE RWY & THE LEFT MAIN GEAR FAILED. HE SAID HE MISJUDGED THE PERFORMANCE OF THE ACFT, & WHEN HE ABORTED, THERE WAS INSUFFICIENT RWY REMAINING TO STOP. ALSO, HE BELIEVED THE HI DENSITY ALT, SOFT RWY, GUSTY WINDS & UPWARD SLOPING RWY CONTRIBUTED TO THE ACDNT. THE ARPT ELEV WAS 2100 FT; THE TEMP WAS ABOUT 65 DEG. THE PLT RPRTD THE WIND WAS FROM 080 DEG AT 10 GUSTING 20 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: 2,500 hours in all; 80 in this make and model; 35 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,249 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 6, 1987; 80 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,000 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-K (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: North Pole AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0, 1,500 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 080° at 10 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 60 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 2:00 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.
Other NTSB records under N3539E 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
- N3539E 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 72,676 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental O-470-K 13 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Accidents and incidents in Alaska 5,932 since 1982 · 825 in the last ten years
- Alaska 9,142 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N3539E 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/ANC88LA139.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.