Cessna 180 accident near Meshik Lake, Alaska, November 11, 1988
On November 11, 1988 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Cessna 180, registered N420SB, was substantially damaged in an accident near Meshik Lake, Alaska (Strip airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 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
- November 11, 1988 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Meshik Lake, Alaska · Strip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180 · all 180s on the register
- Registration
- N420SB · registry record · serial 18052313
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT WAS ATTEMPTING TO TAKEOFF FROM AN UNIMPROVED LANDING AREA WITH TWO HUNTER-FRIENDS. HE STATED THAT THE AIRCRAFT BOUNCED THREE TIMES, REACHED AN ALTITUDE OF ABOUT FOUR FEET, THEN HIT THE TEN-FOOT HIGH TREES AT THE DEPARTURE END OF THE AREA AND NOSED OVER. HE THOUGHT THE UNSUCCESSFUL TAKEOFF MIGHT HAVE BEEN CAUSED BY THE HEADWIND CHANGING TO A TAILWIND DURING TAKEOFF.
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; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 2,559 hours in all; 1,115 in this make and model; 161 in the last 90 days; 21 in the last 30 days; 2,555 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,353 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 31, 1988; 94 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Meshik Lake AK at 8:00 pm
- Destination: AKN King Salmon AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 60 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 4:00 pm
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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 N420SB 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.