Overall Trends
Total, fatal, and serious accidents in the selected range.
Search investigations, review source evidence, monitor watched reports, and trace long-term patterns from one calm, data-first workspace.
Fast key and full-text search with live filters, watches, and precise metadata.
Use quotes for exact phrase matches (for example "fuel selector valve").
Track fatal and non-fatal accident patterns across Part 91, Part 135, and Part 121 operations.
Major cases, deep-report coverage, and investigation media across decades of NTSB history.
Move quickly by aircraft, airport, operator, and time with indexes built for research, not wandering.
NTSB Reports is an independent research and search tool for public aviation accident and incident records. It brings NTSB aviation reports, structured fields, docket files, extracted figures, photos, videos, and update history into one searchable interface.
The goal is practical safety education: make it faster to find relevant investigations, compare similar events, review factual records, and understand the evidence behind probable-cause and preliminary reports.
The investigative work and source records belong to the National Transportation Safety Board and the published investigation record. This site is not affiliated with or endorsed by the NTSB.
Charlie Lake, AK
THE PILOT SAID HE ABORTED THE TAKEOFF ATTEMPT WHEN HE REALIZED HE PROBABLY WOULD NOT GET THE FLOATPLANE AIRBORNE BEFORE REACHING THE END OF THE LAKE. HE SAID HE MISTAKENLY PULLED THE PROPELLER CONTROL KNOB BACK INSTEAD OF THE THROTTLE CONTROL KNOB. THE AIRPLANE HIT THE EDGE OF THE LAKE AND WENT UP ONTO THE TUNDRA, DURING WHICH SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE WAS DONE TO THE AIRPLANE.
THE PILOT DELAYED HIS DECISION TO ABORT THE TAKEOFF, AND DID NOT FOLLOW THE STANDARD PROCEDURES/DIRECTIVES FOR THE ABORTED TAKEOFF. FACTORS WERE THE PILOT'S IMPROPER PREFLIGHT PLANNING/DECISION, AND THE ROUGH/UNEVEN TERRAIN.
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On September 19, 1993, at 1630 Alaska daylight time, a float equipped Cessna 180 airplane, N9600B, over ran the lake and collided with the terrain during an attempted takeoff at Charlie Lake, located 15 miles east of Farewell, Alaska. The private pilot and one passenger were not injured, and the airplane was substantially damaged. The personal flight was operating under 14 CFR Part 91 at the time. Visual meteorological conditions existed, and no flight plan was filed. Shortly after the accident, during a telephone conversation, the pilot stated the following in part: "During the takeoff run I had one float off the water, and a gust of wind caused it to settle back down on the water. I didn't think I would get airborne before reaching the end of the lake, so decided to abort the takeoff. Then I mistakenly pulled back the propeller control knob instead of the throttle control knob. The airplane hit the edge of the lake and went up onto the tundra. The float struts and the left wing strut were damaged and had to be replaced."