Cessna 180J accident near Ketchikan, Alaska, December 6, 1988
On December 6, 1988 at about 11:36 pm local time, a Cessna 180J, registered N46602, was substantially damaged in an accident near Ketchikan, 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 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
- December 6, 1988 · about 11:36 pm local time
- Place
- Ketchikan, Alaska
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180J · all 180Js on the register
- Registration
- N46602 · no longer on the register · serial 18052429
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT HAD PLANNED TO TAXI THE FLOATPLANE FROM ONE RAMP TO ANOTHER FOR THE PURPOSE OF OBTAINING AN ANNUAL INPN & TO DOCK THE PLANE AT BETTER FACILITIES. SHE FOUND THE FLOAT RUDDER PULLEY TO BE INOPERATIVE. A DECISION WAS THEN MADE TO FLY THE PLANE FROM ITS ORIGINAL RAMP TO THE NEW LOCATION. DURING A TURN TO REVERSE DIRECTION AT ABOUT 150 TO 200 FT AGL,THE AIRCRAFT 'QUIT FLYING' & DESCENDED TO THE WATER.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 223 hours in all; 134 in this make and model; 18 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 162 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 1, 1988; 102 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-R25 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°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.