- Date
- September 14, 1985, 18:00 local (Sep 15, 1985, 02:00 UTC)
- Place
- Tutna Lake, AK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N2490CCessna 180
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19850914044939A
- Case key
- 4566
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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 plt elected to takeoff from a lake that was aprx 1/2 mi long & oriented on an east/west heading. During a x-wind takeoff, the plt had difficulty getting the acft to lift off, but elected to continue the takeoff. The acft finally lifted off, but failed to accelerate sufficiently in ground effect. Subsequently, it mushed into a tundra hill while still flying in ground effect. The plt stated he that was fatigued & was overconfident in both himself & his acft. He stated that he should have waited until the wind was along the axis of the lake and/or he should have repositioned his acft on a bigger lake before hauling the cargo.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2490C
- Reported as
- Cessna 180
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 30790
- Airframe hours
- 3,874
- Engine
- Continental O-470-L, 230 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- John O. Elgee
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Destination
- Mulchatna River, AK
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
- Airline transport, Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 6,500 total · 804 in this make and model · 6,120 as pilot in command · 127 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 8 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 55 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.