Cessna 180 accident near Green Island, Alaska, May 23, 1989
On May 23, 1989 at about 5:40 pm local time, a Cessna 180, registered N9944V, was substantially damaged in an accident near Green Island, Alaska. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person was seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO SELECT A SUITABLE LANDING AREA. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: ROUGH WATER CONDITIONS, AND THE PILOT'S LACK OF EXPERIENCE IN THIS MAKE AND MODEL OF AIRCRAFT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 23, 1989 · about 5:40 pm local time
- Place
- Green Island, Alaska
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180 · all 180s on the register
- Registration
- N9944V · registry record · serial 51798
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE FLOAT EQUIPPED CESSNA 180 AIRPLANE FLIPPED OVER WHILE LANDING NEAR GREEN ISLAND, AK. THE AIR TAXI PILOT WAS FLYING TWO BOAT CREW MEMBERS TO THEIR BOATS ON AN UNSCHEDULED CHARTER FLIGHT. WITNESSES STATED THAT THE AIRPLANE APPEARED TO BE FLARING TO LAND, WHEN IT ENTERED A SLIGHT LEFT TURN & THE LEFT FLOAT 'DUG INTO' THE WATER. THE PILOT BELIEVED THE AIRPLANE MAY HAVE ENCOUNTERED A BOAT'S WAKE THAT HE DID NOT SEE BEFORE THE ENCOUNTER. A CREW MEMBER FROM A NEARBY BOAT DOVE INTO THE WATER AND HELPED THE PILOT AND PASSENGERS ESCAPE.
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: 1,350 hours in all; 3 in this make and model; 120 in the last 90 days; 65 in the last 30 days; 1,300 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 17, 1989; 50 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: CKU Cordova City AK at 12:40 pm
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ANC89LA077.