Cessna 180A N94259

Summary

On 10 September 1995 at about 18:00 local time, a Cessna 180A registered N94259 was involved in an accident near Glennallen, Alaska, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

10 September 1995 at 18:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Glennallen, Alaska, United States

Coordinates

62.1007, -145.5300

Aircraft

Cessna 180A

Registration

N94259

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Positioning

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC95LA164

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's selection of an unsuitable area for takeoff. The water condition with large waves/swells was a related factor.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot of a float equipped Cessna 180A, N94259, was departing a remote lake after deplaning 2 hunters. Windy conditions from a nearby glacier produced choppy waves of about 3 to 4 feet high. The wind was estimated to be about 30 knots. During the takeoff run, the airplane floats received several hard impacts from the waves that were washing over the top of the floats. The pilot aborted the takeoff and taxied on the lake, looking for calmer conditions. The left float began to fill with water and the airplane rolled over. The airplane did not sink at that time. The pilot exited the airplane and climbed onto the inverted airplane floats. Later, the pilot of a Bell 206B, N84TA, attempted to rescue the Cessna pilot. While hovering near the downed plane, the helicopter went into a dynamic rollover and crashed, and the Cessna pilot received serious injuries. The Cessna 180 sank after the rescue. (See: ID ANC95TA166 for information concerning the helicopter accident.)

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.