# NTSB ANC05LA143: Cessna 180C, N9254T, Igiugig, AK, September 10, 2005 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: September 10, 2005, 13:30 local (21:30 UTC) - Place: Igiugig, AK - Coordinates: 59.2, -155.166671 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=59.2000&lon=-155.1667&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 2 uninjured - Status: Completed, report February 28, 2006 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB office: Alaska Regional Office - Parties: Anchorage FSDO-03 - NTSB case key (mKey): 62463 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=ANC05LA143 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/62463/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC05LA143 ## Probable cause The failure of the airplane's starter to disengage, which resulted in an overheated starter, smoke in the cockpit, and an emergency landing. A factor associated with the accident was soft terrain encountered during the emergency landing. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Airframe/component/system failure/malfunction, cruise - normal - engine accessories,engine starter - not disengaged (cause) - On ground/water encounter with terrain/water, emergency landing - terrain condition - soft (contributing factor) - Nose over, emergency landing ## Analysis The airline transport pilot was conducting a 14 CFR Part 91 personal cross-country flight when she smelled smoke in the cockpit. She flew to a small, rough airstrip in the area, while assessing the problem. Unable to isolate the problem, she elected to make a precautionary landing. During the landing the airplane encountered soft terrain and nosed over. Postcrash inspection of the airplane by an aircraft mechanic discovered that the engine starter had failed to disengage, resulting in an overheated starter and smoke in the cockpit. ## Factual narrative On September 10, 2005, about 1330 Alaska daylight time, a Cessna 180C airplane, N9254T, sustained substantial damage when it nosed over during an off airport emergency landing, 30 miles east-southeast of Igiugig, Alaska. The airplane was being operated by the pilot as a visual flight rules (VFR) personal cross-country flight under Title 14, CFR Part 91, when the accident occurred. The private pilot and sole passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated at the Igiugig, Airport, Igiugig, about 1300. During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC) on September 10, the pilot said that she smelled smoke in the cockpit. She said she was familiar with a 1200 foot long airstrip in the area, and landed there, and that at the end of the landing roll, the airplane encountered ruts, and nosed over. She said there were no known mechanical anomalies with the airplane prior to the accident. The left wing lift strut was bent during the accident. After recovery of the airplane, a certified aircraft mechanic who examined the airplane found that the starter solenoid had not disengaged, creating a "hung start" condition, resulting in an overheated starter, which was responsible for the smoke. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N9254T](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N9254T), registered now, S/N 50754, built 1960 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Cessna 180C - Registry model: [Cessna 180C](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-180c) (registry code 2072608) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental O-470 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-o-470-series) (registry code 17026, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 50754 - Airframe hours: 1750 - Engines: Continental O-470-L 230 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: Colette Ireland - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, April 1, 2005, 40 hours before - Departed: IGG, Iguigig, AK - Destination: PAHO, Homer, AK ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 46; injuries: none; airline transport, flight instructor; airplane ratings: single-engine land, multi-engine land, single-engine sea; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 1, with waivers/limitations; last flight review October 1, 2004; seat: left; flight hours: 11,410 total, 630 in this make and model, 2,230 as pilot in command, 103 in the last 90 days, 12 in the last 30 days ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 64 °F ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20050910024869A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20050910024869A), Sep 10, 2005: Cessna 180C, Igiugug, AK, Substantial damage. (-23) On September 10, 2005, about 1300 hrs Cessna 180C, N9254T sustained substantial damage when it nosed over during an off airport emergency landing. 30… From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.