Cessna 180 accident near King Salmon, Alaska, September 30, 1997
On September 30, 1997 at about 2:00 am local time, a Cessna 180, registered N4900A, was substantially damaged in an accident near King Salmon, Alaska (Kejulik River Lodge airport). It was a business 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
The distorted/misaligned main landing gear, and an improper maintenance repair of the main landing gear. A factor associated with the accident was rough and uneven terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 30, 1997 · about 2:00 am local time
- Place
- King Salmon, Alaska · Kejulik River Lodge · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180 · all 180s on the register
- Registration
- N4900A · registry record · serial 180-32297
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane departed a rough, rocky, gravel bar. During the subsequent landing roll at the pilot's gravel strip, the plane veered to the right. As the plane decelerated, full left rudder and brake input by the pilot did not maintain directional control. The airplane departed the right side of the strip, the left main landing gear separated, and the airplane nosed over. Inspection revealed that the right main landing gear was canted ten degrees to the right, and had been installed using 'Cherry Max' rivets instead of the required solid rivets.
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; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 9,200 hours in all; 1,500 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days; 9,000 as pilot in command; 300 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,395 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 7, 1997
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-K (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Bear Creek Rivr AK at 4:45 pm
- Destination: Kejulik River AK
- Runway 36, 900 ft by 20 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,000 ft; scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.