No fatalities

17 Feb 2018: CESSNA 180 — Big Lake, AK

Big Lake, AK, United States

On 17 Feb 2018, a CESSNA 180 UNDESIGNAT was involved in an aviation accident near Big Lake, AK. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot’s selection of unsuitable terrain for landing, which led to both skis breaking through the ice while positioning the airplane after landing. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

A pilot reported that after landing on a snow-covered off-airport site, the ski-equipped aircraft broke through soft ice while taxiing, resulting in substantial fuselage damage.

Incident Summary

A pilot reported an accident involving a ski-equipped airplane during taxiing after landing on a snow-covered, off-airport landing site. The pilot was repositioning the airplane for parking when the left ski broke through the ice, followed shortly by the right ski. The pilot stated that he had not observed the area of soft or thin ice before taxiing.

Aircraft Damage

The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage as a result of the incident.

Pilot Report

The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The accident occurred after landing on a snow-covered, off-airport site, with the pilot noting he was unaware of the ice condition prior to taxiing.

Contributing factors

Causes

PilotDecision related to condition

Other contributing factors

Effect on operation