Cessna 180 accident near Big Lake, Alaska, April 5, 1996
On April 5, 1996 at about 11:10 pm local time, a Cessna 180, registered N9600B, was destroyed in an accident near Big Lake, Alaska (Big Lake airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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
fuel starvation due to unporting of the fuel tank inlet, and the pilot's use of a steep, nose-low attitude during descent on the approach to land. The low level of fuel remaining was a related factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 5, 1996 · about 11:10 pm local time
- Place
- Big Lake, Alaska · Big 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
- N9600B · no longer on the register · serial 32897
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot/mechanic was performing a test flight to check the flight control rigging. During his approach for landing, the engine lost power. The pilot landed short of the runway threshold, but the airplane encountered a puddle of water, about 1 foot deep, and nosed over. The pilot stated that the airplane was low on fuel and was operating in rough/turbulent air. During his approach to land on the runway, he was using a steep, nose low attitude, when the engine lost power. The pilot believed that the fuel tank inlet became unported during the approach. The airplane was destroyed by an explosion and fire during recovery.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 4,500 hours in all; 3,000 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,960 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470K (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: BGQ at 10:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 6, 2,700 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 15 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 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.
Other NTSB records under N9600B 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.