- Date
- October 7, 2000, 18:10 local (Oct 8, 2000, 02:10 UTC)
- Place
- Anchorage, AK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N9306CCessna 180
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 10, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 20001007041969A
- Case key
- 50488
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's delay in aborting the takeoff run. A factor associated with the accident was glassy water conditions.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The certificated commercial pilot reported that as he started a southeasterly takeoff run, using the southeast water lane, the airplane's acceleration seemed slower than normal due to glassy water conditions. He said that as he neared the end of the water lane, just before the airplane became airborne, he elected to abort the takeoff run. He said that after he closed the throttle, the airplane stayed up on the step longer than he had anticipated, and subsequently struck the lakeshore, and a moored and unoccupied Cessna 185. The pilot said that there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane.
Factual narrative
On October 7, 2000, about 1830 Alaska daylight time, a float equipped Cessna 180 airplane, N9306C, sustained substantial damage during takeoff from the Lake Hood Sea Plane Base, Anchorage, Alaska. The certificated commercial pilot, and the one pilot-rated passenger aboard, were not injured. The airplane was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) personal flight under Title 14, CFR Part 91, when the accident occurred. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed.
During an on-scene interview with the National Transportation Safety Board investigator-in-charge on October 7, the pilot reported that as he started a southeasterly takeoff run, using the southeast water lane, the airplane's acceleration seemed slower than normal due to glassy water conditions. He said that as he neared the end of the water lane, just before the airplane became airborne, he elected to abort the takeoff run. He said that after he closed the throttle, the airplane stayed up on the step longer than he had anticipated, and subsequently struck the lakeshore, and a moored and unoccupied Cessna 185, N61473.
The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing and fuselage.
The pilot said that there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9306C
- Reported as
- Cessna 180
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 31704
- Airframe hours
- 3,871
- Engine
- Continental O-470-50, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Kent D. Peterson
- Registered owner
- Carroll R. Raney
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 14, 2000 · 34 hours before
- Departed
- LHD
- Airport
- LHD · Lake Hood Seaplane, runway 16, 1,930 × 200 ft, water
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 39
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,259 total · 294 in this make and model · 2,130 as pilot in command · 56 in the last 90 days · 18 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 7,500 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 46 °F, dew point 39 °F
- Altimeter
- 28.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PAN
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N9306C · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.