Cessna 180 accident near Palmer, Alaska, September 18, 1999
On September 18, 1999 at about 7:30 pm local time, a Cessna 180, registered N2294C, was substantially damaged in an accident near Palmer, Alaska. It was a personal 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's choice of unsuitable terrain for taxi, and inadequate compensation for high winds. Factors associated with this accident were the muddy ground, and the winds of 25 knots gusting to 40 knots.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 18, 1999 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- Palmer, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180 · all 180s on the register
- Registration
- N2294C · registry record · serial 30594
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was taxiing the airplane after landing on a gravel and clay bar the second time that day. He said the ground was soft and muddy, so he kept the airplane moving so it would not become stuck. The wheels bogged down during the taxi, the airplane nosed down, and the wind carried the airplane over onto its back. The vertical stabilizer and the right wing outboard of the lift strut sustained substantial damage. The pilot said the visibility was 5 miles in rain, and the winds had increased from the first trip, and were 25 knots, with gusts to 40 knots.
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: single-engine land
- Flight time: 2,000 hours in all; 1,000 in this make and model; 1,900 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (expired)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 9, 1993
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470J (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Anderson Lake AK at 2:00 pm
- Destination: Lake George AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 25 knots, gusting 40
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 5,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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 N2294C 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.