Cessna 180 accident near Anchorage, Alaska, October 30, 1988
On October 30, 1988 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Cessna 180, registered N9278C, was substantially damaged in an accident near Anchorage, Alaska (Merrill Field). It was a business 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 October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 30, 1988 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Anchorage, Alaska · Merrill Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180 · all 180s on the register
- Registration
- N9278C · no longer on the register · serial 31377
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT REPORTED THAT HE LOST DIRECTIONAL CONTROL OF THE AIRPLANE DURING A POST-FLIGHT TAXI TO TIE DOWN. HE SAID THAT A SMALL FLASHLIGHT HAD FALLEN BEHIND THE LEFT RUDDER PEDAL AND LIMITED THE AMOUNT OF BRAKE AND RUDDER AVAILABLE FOR DIRECTIONAL CONTROL.
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
- Flight time: 1,805 hours in all; 435 in this make and model; 179 in the last 90 days; 56 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,405 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 28, 1988; 163 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ENA Kenai AK at 6:19 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 33, 2,469 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 315° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 37°F (3°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 3:00 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 N9278C 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.