Cessna 182 accident near Anchorage, Alaska, September 11, 1999
On September 11, 1999 at about 5:22 am local time, a Cessna 182, registered N1881X, was substantially damaged in an accident near Anchorage, Alaska (Merrill Field). It was a ferry 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
The pilot/mechanic's improper damage repair, and intentional operation (ferry) of the airplane with known deficiencies. Factors in the accident were the installation of the improper nose gear assembly, and the inadequate surveillance and issuance of a special flight permit by the FAA.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 11, 1999 · about 5:22 am local time
- Place
- Anchorage, Alaska · Merrill Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182 · all 182s on the register
- Registration
- N1881X · no longer on the register · serial 18255981
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Ferry flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot, who was also a mechanic with an inspection authorization, was landing the airplane from a ferry flight after the airplane had been involved in a previous accident (see ANC99LA155). The pilot/mechanic said that immediately after touchdown, the nose wheel began to vibrate. The nose gear assembly collapsed, and the engine firewall to which the temporary nose gear assembly had been attached, sustained substantial damage. Inspection by an FAA airworthiness inspector revealed that a nose landing gear assembly from an earlier model Cessna 182 had been installed without a shimmy damper, and without provision for connection to the steering bungees. A doubler had been installed on the previously damaged firewall to provide mounting structure for the nose gear assembly. A review of photographs taken at the first accident site revealed that substantial damage to the left wing, left horizontal stabilizer and left elevator (including missing the outboard 4 inches of elevator, and the left elevator tip counterweight), tail cone and empennage, and lower engine cowling existed prior to the ferry flight. The FAA issued a ferry permit for the airplane but did not inspect the airplane, nor verify the extent of damage which existed prior to the flight occurring. The airplane had received its last annual inspection on July 18, 1997, 26 months before the first accident.
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; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 2,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,168 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 18, 1997; 90 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470K (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FWL Farewell AK at 11:00 pm
- Destination: MRI
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 33, 2,640 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 12,000 ft; scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.
Other NTSB records under N1881X 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.