Cessna 180H accident near Chugiak, Alaska, January 8, 1998
On January 8, 1998 at about 7:30 pm local time, a Cessna 180H, registered N9737G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Chugiak, Alaska (Bold airport). It was a personal 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 pilot's selection of an unsuitable area for landing. A factor relating to the accident was: the crusty, snow covered surface of the airstrip.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 8, 1998 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- Chugiak, Alaska · Bold · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180H · all 180Hs on the register
- Registration
- N9737G · registry record · serial 52237
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was landing a tailwheel equipped airplane on a small snow covered airstrip. The surface of the snow was compacted by numerous snow machine tracks. After performing a low pass to assess the runway, the pilot proceeded to land. During the landing roll, the left tire broke through the crusty surface of the snow and sank. The airplane nosed over and received damage to the right wing, the right wing lift strut, the vertical stabilizer, and the propeller.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 945 hours in all; 220 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 17 in the last 30 days; 920 as pilot in command; 310 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,599 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 13, 1997; 99 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MRI Anchorage AK at 7:15 pm
- Destination: A13
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 14, 1,000 ft by 30 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 15,000 ft
- Temperature: 18°F (-8°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 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.
Other NTSB records under N9737G 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.