Cessna 180 accident near Chalkitsik, Alaska, September 18, 1998
On September 18, 1998 at about 7:30 pm local time, a Cessna 180, registered N9407C, was substantially damaged in an accident near Chalkitsik, Alaska. 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to identify an unsafe/hazardous condition. A factor associated with the accident was soft terrain conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 18, 1998 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- Chalkitsik, Alaska · 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
- N9407C · registry record · serial 31805
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot was departing from a remote airstrip in a tailwheel equipped airplane. He reported that on the day of the accident he had already completed three round trips from the accident airstrip, ferrying passengers and supplies. He stated that during the accident takeoff run, about one-quarter down the runway, the airplane's main wheels sank into about 10 inches of soft mud. The airplane then nosed over, and sustained substantial damage to the wings, and rudder.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,895 hours in all; 477 in this make and model; 74 in the last 90 days; 31 in the last 30 days; 1,857 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,380 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 1, 1998; 68 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,250 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-K (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: CHP Circle Hot Spr AK
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 27, 1,300 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Other NTSB records under N9407C the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ANC98LA153.