Cessna 150 accident near Big Lake, Alaska, January 8, 1994
On January 8, 1994 at about 6:15 pm local time, a Cessna 150, registered N16037, was substantially damaged in an accident near Big Lake, Alaska (Big Lake 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
LOSS OF ENGINE POWER DUE TO IMPROPER PROCEDURES USED BY THE PIC. A FACTOR CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WAS THE SNOW COVERED TERRAIN.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 8, 1994 · about 6:15 pm local time
- Place
- Big Lake, Alaska · Big Lake · 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
- N16037 · no longer on the register · serial 15073431
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE INSTRUCTOR PILOT SIMULATED AN ENGINE OUT EMERGENCY APPROACH. THE INSTRUCTOR AND STUDENT REALIZED THAT THEY WERE NOT GOING TO REACH THE RUNWAY DURING THE GLIDE. THE STUDENT APPLIED POWER AND THE ENGINE DID NOT RESPOND. THE INSTRUCTOR TOOK CONTROL AND COMPLETED A FORCED LANDING IN WHICH THE NOSE GEAR SHEARED OFF ON TOUCHDOWN AND THE AIRPLANE NOSED OVER. SUBSEQUENT ENGINE TESTS SHOWED NO MECHANICAL OR NON-MECHANICAL REASON FOR THE LOSS OF POWER. THE PROCEDURES/DIRECTIVES CONTAINED IN AC61-21A OF ENSURING THAT THE ENGINE WAS KEPT WARM AND 'CLEARED' DURING THE SIMULATED EMERGENCY APPROACH WAS NOT PERFORMED BY THE INSTRUCTOR PILOT.
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: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 380 hours in all; 190 in this make and model; 35 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 300 as pilot in command; 75 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,403 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 1, 1993; 72 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Anchorage Flying Club
The flight
- Departed from: MRI Anchorage AK at 5:15 pm
- Runway 6, 2,435 ft by 70 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 99 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: -6°F (-21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.