Cessna 180 accident near Pumice Creek, Alaska, September 21, 1993
On September 21, 1993 at about 5:30 am local time, a Cessna 180, registered N4563B, was substantially damaged in an accident near Pumice Creek, Alaska. 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 MAINTAIN DIRECTIONAL CONTROL OF THE AIRPLANE DURING THE LANDING ROLL. FACTORS WERE THE PILOT MISJUDGED THE WIND INFORMATION, 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 21, 1993 · about 5:30 am local time
- Place
- Pumice Creek, Alaska · 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
- N4563B · registry record · serial 31462
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT REPORTED THAT THE WINDS WERE TOO STRONG AND UNSTABLE FOR A SAFE DOWNWIND TURN, SO HE REDUCED THE ENGINE POWER AND LANDED THE AIRPLANE. DURING THE LANDING ROLL THE PILOT LOST DIRECTIONAL CONTROL AND THE AIRPLANE GROUND LOOPED. THE PILOT SAID HE KNEW BEFORE THE ATTEMPTED LANDING THAT THE WINDS WERE VERY UNSTABLE, AND THAT HE HAD MISJUDGED THE GUSTY CROSSWIND.
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
- Flight time: 3,200 hours in all; 1,950 in this make and model; 200 in the last 90 days; 150 in the last 30 days; 3,200 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,835 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 20, 1993; 189 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,500 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-7 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 10 knots, gusting 35
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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 N4563B 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.