Cessna 180 accident near Puntilla, Alaska, August 2, 2017
On August 2, 2017 at about 3:00 am local time, a 1955 Cessna 180, registered N9455C, was destroyed in an accident during landing near Puntilla, 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 airplane’s encounter with a downdraft while maneuvering at a low altitude, which resulted in the exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack and a subsequent aerodynamic stall.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 2, 2017 · about 3:00 am local time
- Place
- Puntilla, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180 UNDESIGNAT, built 1955 · all 180s on the register
- Registration
- N9455C · no longer on the register · serial 31853
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot, he made two passes over a dry creek bed to assess a potential landing site. The second pass was accomplished up-creek into rising terrain. The airplane was configured with full power and with flaps at 20°, and it was about 50 ft above ground level at 80 mph. The pilot reported that the airplane encountered a downdraft as it transitioned from overflying the trees to overflying the creek bed, which he attempted to correct, but the airplane aerodynamically stalled. Following the stall, the pilot attempted to land on a dry creek bed. The airplane touched down on the creek bed, then bounced and descended into a "dry cut channel." The airplane came to rest nose down in a near vertical position. The airplane was destroyed by a postcrash fire. According to the National Transportation Safety Board's Pilot Aircraft Accident Report, the pilot reported that the event could have been avoided by making the low pass along descending terrain at a higher airspeed. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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
What happened, in order
- Other weather encounter during maneuvering (low-alt flying)
- Aerodynamic stall/spin during landing
- Off-field or emergency landing during landing
- Loss of control on ground during landing defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (flare/touchdown)
- Nose over/nose down during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Angle of attack › Capability exceeded
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Downdraft › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 305 hours in all; 70 in this make and model; 55 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days; 277 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 3, 2017
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,883 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 3, 2016
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor O-470J (piston); 1,203 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: PAWS Wasilla AK
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: scat
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on January 30, 2018. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photo | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.