Cessna 180J accident near Ketchikan, Alaska, November 19, 1984
On November 19, 1984 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Cessna 180J, registered N56BK, was substantially damaged in an accident near Ketchikan, Alaska (Refuge Cove airport). 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 19, 1984 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Ketchikan, Alaska · Refuge Cove · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180J · all 180Js on the register
- Registration
- N56BK · no longer on the register · serial 18052358
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT SANK AFTER A HARD LANDING ON WATER. THE PLT REPORTED THAT THE ACFT BOUNCED DURING LANDING AND THE WIND GOT UNDER THE UPWIND WING AND ROLLED THE ACFT. THE WIND WAS REPORTED AS 18 KTS WITH GUSTS TO 25 KTS.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 500 hours in all; 500 in this make and model; 7 in the last 90 days; 950 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (expired)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 10, 1984; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: AK78 Yes Bay AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 18 knots, gusting 29
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:58 pm from KTN, 8 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
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.