Cessna 180 accident near Big Lake, Alaska, February 17, 2018
On February 17, 2018 at about 8:30 pm local time, a 1953 Cessna 180, registered N2934A, was substantially damaged in an accident near Big Lake, 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 selection of unsuitable terrain for landing, which led to both skis breaking through the ice while positioning the airplane after landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made September 29, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 17, 2018 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- Big Lake, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180 UNDESIGNAT, built 1953 · all 180s on the register
- Registration
- N2934A · registry record · serial 30134
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that, after landing on a snow-covered, off-airport landing site, he was positioning the airplane for parking. He added that the left ski broke through the ice, followed by the right ski. He reported that he had not seen the area of "soft/thin" ice before taxiing. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
The NTSB's narratives can run to many pages; this is the opening. Read the full report at the NTSB.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database and is rewritten in plain English only where the NTSB used codes; the probable cause and narrative are the NTSB's own words. 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 GAA18CA136.