Cessna 180 accident near Port Alsworth, Alaska, August 30, 1996
On August 30, 1996 at about 11:30 pm local time, a Cessna 180, registered N8241V, was substantially damaged in an accident near Port Alsworth, Alaska. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The fuel starvation caused by the unporting of the right fuel tank, and the pilot's inadequate preflight by not dipping the fuel tank to ensure sufficient fuel quantity to prevent the unporting.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 30, 1996 · about 11:30 pm local time
- Place
- Port Alsworth, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180 · all 180s on the register
- Registration
- N8241V · registry record · serial 18051743
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot had landed at a field site to pick up two passengers. After the landing, he drained the fuel from the left fuel tank to store for future use. The operator stated this is their normal practice, and as a result, operate the airplanes with the fuel selector valve in the right fuel tank position. When the airplane was approximately 5 minutes from the destination, the engine stopped producing power. The airplane landed and nosed over. Subsequent examination showed that the right fuel tank contained 7.3 gallons of usable fuel and the left fuel tank contained 3.1 gallons of usable fuel. The engine was started and it operated normally. The passengers stated the pilot did not dip the fuel tank prior to departure and that the return flight was turbulent.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,630 hours in all; 20 in this make and model; 120 in the last 90 days; 90 in the last 30 days; 2,850 as pilot in command; 360 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,357 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 20, 1996; 36 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-R25 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Lake Clark Air INC.
The flight
- Departed from: Mulchatna River AK
- Destination: 5NW AK
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 4 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 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.
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.