Cessna 180 N4631U

Summary

On 5 October 2024 at about 01:30 local time, a Cessna 180 registered N4631U was involved in an accident near Big Lake, Alaska, United States. 2 people were on board and one died, one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. No probable cause has been published yet; this accident is still under investigation.

Date

5 October 2024 at 01:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Big Lake, Alaska, United States

Coordinates

61.5989, -150.0895

Aircraft

Cessna 180

Registration

N4631U

Category

Airplane

Year built

1963

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → Anchorage

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC25FA001

1 person died.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. The investigation is still open; a final report usually follows one to two years after the accident.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

On October 4, 2024, about 1730 Alaska daylight time, a float-equipped Cessna 180 airplane, N4631U, sustained substantial damage when it was involved in an accident near Big Lake, Alaska. The pilot was fatally injured, and one passenger sustained serious injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 flight. According to the passenger, the airplane was departing from East Butterfly Lake, near Big Lake for a return flight to the Lake Hood Seaplane Base (LHD), Anchorage, Alaska. The passenger reported that just before starting their northerly takeoff run, strong, gusty, variable wind conditions prevailed. During takeoff from the lake, as the airplane passed low over an area of tree-covered terrain, a sudden gust of wind pushed the airplane towards the trees. The airplane’s right wing subsequently collided with a stand of tall trees, and the airplane came to rest inverted in the lake, partially submerged (See figure 1). Figure 1. Accident airplane, N4631U, at the accident site. (Alaska State Trooper Photo) A detailed wreckage examination is pending after the airplane is recovered from the waters of East Butterfly Lake.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.