Cessna 180 N9600B

Summary

On 5 April 1996 at about 23:10 local time, a Cessna 180 registered N9600B, operated by Bill J. Cranford, was involved in an accident near Big Lake, 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

5 April 1996 at 23:10

Classification

Accident

Location

Big Lake, Alaska, United States

Nearest airport

Big Lake (BGQ)

Coordinates

61.4601, -150.0905

Aircraft

Cessna 180

Registration

N9600B

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Bill J. Cranford

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Unknown

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC96LA043

Nobody was injured.

fuel starvation due to unporting of the fuel tank inlet, and the pilot's use of a steep, nose-low attitude during descent on the approach to land. The low level of fuel remaining 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/mechanic was performing a test flight to check the flight control rigging. During his approach for landing, the engine lost power. The pilot landed short of the runway threshold, but the airplane encountered a puddle of water, about 1 foot deep, and nosed over. The pilot stated that the airplane was low on fuel and was operating in rough/turbulent air. During his approach to land on the runway, he was using a steep, nose low attitude, when the engine lost power. The pilot believed that the fuel tank inlet became unported during the approach. The airplane was destroyed by an explosion and fire during recovery.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.