Cessna 150 accident near Wasilla, Alaska, May 21, 1995
On May 21, 1995 at about 8:30 pm local time, a Cessna 150, registered N9GZ, was destroyed in an accident near Wasilla, Alaska. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE STUDENT PILOT'S INADVERTENT VFR FLIGHT INTO INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS (IMC) AND FAILURE TO MAINTAIN CLEARANCE (OR ALTITUDE) FROM THE MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 21, 1995 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- Wasilla, Alaska
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150 · all 150s on the register
- Registration
- N9GZ · registry record · serial 15070984
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE STUDENT WAS ON THE SECOND LEG OF A SOLO CROSS COUNTRY FLIGHT. THE FLIGHT PLANNED COURSE WOULD HAVE TAKEN THE FLIGHT THROUGH AN AREA OF WIDE VALLEYS. HOWEVER, THE WRECKAGE WAS FOUND 17 MILES EAST OF THE FLIGHT PLANNED COURSE AT THE 3000' LEVEL OF A MOUNTAIN. THE WEATHER IN THE VICINITY OF THE FLIGHT PLANNED COURSE DURING THE TIME OF THE FLIGHT WAS HIGH OVERCAST. IN THE VICINITY OF WHERE THE WRECKAGE WAS LOCATED, THE MOUNTAIN TOPS AND UPPER RIDGES SURROUNDING THE VALLEYS WERE OBSCURED BY CLOUDS.
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: student
- Flight time: 32 hours in all; 32 in this make and model; 32 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 7 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,412 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 11, 1995; 29 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Alaska Air Academy
The flight
- Departed from: Z41 Anchorage AK at 3:05 pm
- Destination: TKA Talkeetna AK
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: broken clouds; not recorded
- 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.
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 documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text 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 ANC95FA056.