Cessna 180 accident near Bethel, Alaska, September 5, 1991
On September 5, 1991 at about 2:20 am local time, a Cessna 180, registered N243P, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bethel, Alaska (H Marker Lake 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 PILOT'S FAILURE TO OBTAIN PROPER AIRSPEED. CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WAS THE PILOT'S IMPROPER COMPENSATION FOR WIND CONDITIONS AND THE UNFAVORABLE WIND.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 5, 1991 · about 2:20 am local time
- Place
- Bethel, Alaska · H Marker Lake · 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
- N243P · no longer on the register · serial 50743
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRPLANE HAD JUST LIFTED OFF THE WATER WHEN THE PILOT LOST CONTROL OF THE AIRPLANE. THE AIRPLANE THEN STALLED AND CRASHED ON THE TUNDRA. AFTER GROUND IMPACT, THE AIRPLANE NOSED OVER ON ITS BACK.
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; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 2,280 hours in all; 1,203 in this make and model; 328 in the last 90 days; 125 in the last 30 days; 2,240 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,304 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 26, 1991; 150 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,820 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Runway 22, 1,100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 6,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.
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.