Cessna 180 accident near Dry Bay, Alaska, September 23, 1986
On September 23, 1986 at about 8:40 pm local time, a Cessna 180, registered N9138T, was destroyed in an accident near Dry Bay, Alaska (Crows Landing airport). It was a positioning 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 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
- September 23, 1986 · about 8:40 pm local time
- Place
- Dry Bay, Alaska · Crows Landing · 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
- N9138T · registry record · serial 50638
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
GUSTY WINDS WERE PRESENT AT THE AIRSTRIP WHEN THE PLT ELECTED TO GO-AROUND DURING THE APCH. DURING THE GO-AROUND, A DOWNDRAFT WAS ENCOUNTERED. THE PLT LOST CONTROL OF THE ACFT WHICH ROLLED INVERTED AND STRUCK THE GROUND. THE PLT REPORTED THE WIND VELOCITY VARIED FROM ZERO TO 50 KTS AT THE TIME OF THE 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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,250 hours in all; 210 in this make and model; 175 in the last 90 days; 4,130 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,261 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,350 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-K (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: YKT Yukatat AK at 3:10 pm
- Destination: Crows Strip AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0, 2,000 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 10,000 ft; not recorded at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 55°F (13°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.
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.