Cessna 150 accident near Anchorage, Alaska, December 1, 1991
On December 1, 1991 at about 9:42 pm local time, a Cessna 150, registered N704YP, was substantially damaged in an accident near Anchorage, Alaska (Merrill airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE CERTIFIED FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR'S (CFI) DELAY IN INITIATING THE GO AROUND. CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WAS THE SNOW BERM AND DARK NIGHT LIGHT CONDITION.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 1, 1991 · about 9:42 pm local time
- Place
- Anchorage, Alaska · Merrill · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150 · all 150s on the register
- Registration
- N704YP · registry record · serial 15078981
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER CROSSING THE RUNWAY THRESHOLD, WHILE PERFORMING A SIMULATED EMERGENCY LANDING, THE DUAL STUDENT STALLED THE AIRPLANE. THE AIRPLANE EXISTED THE LEFT SIDE OF THE RUNWAY AND CRASHED INTO A SNOWBANK. THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR STATED HE ATTEMPTED A GO-AROUND JUST BEFORE THE PLANE STRUCK THE SNOWBANK.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 710 hours in all; 334 in this make and model; 216 in the last 90 days; 39 in the last 30 days; 662 as pilot in command; 468 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10,085 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 6, 1991; 83 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Aerotech Flight Service, INC.
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 24, 4,001 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 240° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 19°F (-7°C), dew point 18°F (-8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:45 pm from MRI, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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 ANC92LA018.