Cessna 150 accident near Anchorage, Alaska, May 18, 1997
On May 18, 1997 at about 8:50 pm local time, a Cessna 150, registered N5668E, was substantially damaged in an accident near Anchorage, Alaska (Goose Bay airport). It was an instructional 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
failure of the pilot to maintain directional control of the airplane during a touch-and-go landing. Factors associated with the accident were: the rough/uneven runway, and a berm.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 18, 1997 · about 8:50 pm local time
- Place
- Anchorage, Alaska · Goose Bay · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150 · all 150s on the register
- Registration
- N5668E · registry record · serial 17168
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot was practicing touch-and-go landings in a tailwheel equipped airplane. After touchdown on a rutted portion of the runway, the pilot added full power to takeoff again. The airplane began to drift toward the left. Full application of right rudder did not correct the left drift. The student aborted the takeoff, but the airplane swerved off the left side of the runway, and collided with a berm. The student had accrued 27 hours of total instruction.
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: 27 hours in all; 27 in this make and model; 6 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,030 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 8, 1997; 8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Great Northern Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: Z41 AK at 2:20 pm
- Destination: Z40
- Runway 25, 3,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 1 knots
- Visibility: 90 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 20,000 ft; scat at 4,500 ft
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Observation at 3:54 pm from ANC, 9 miles away
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.
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.