ANC85FA138

NTSB accident investigation · Cessna 172M · Red Devil, AK · July 29, 1985

Accident · FatalField investigationFinal report
Date
July 29, 1985, 01:00 local (09:00 UTC)
Place
Red Devil, AK
Injuries
4 fatal
Damage
Destroyed
Phase of flight
Maneuvering
Aircraft
N12904Cessna 172M
Weather
Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
Status
Completed
Report
Approved by Office Director
NTSB office
Alaska Regional Office
FAA report
19850729034559A
Case key
4424

From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.

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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.

In flight encounter with weatherManeuvering
Flight into known adverse weather - initiatedPilot in commandFactor
Overconfidence in personal abilityPilot in commandFactor
Light condition - dark nightFactor
Weather condition - fogFactor
Weather condition - low ceilingFactor
Weather condition - obscurationFactor
Vfr flight into imc - continuedPilot in commandCause
Lack of total instrument timePilot in commandFactor
In flight collision with terrain/waterManeuvering
Planning/decision - improperPilot in commandCause
Precautionary landing - initiated
Terrain condition - ground
Clearance - misjudgedPilot in commandCause
Spatial disorientationPilot in commandCause

Analysis

Shortly after the plt took off on a ngt flt to bethel, the acft crashed just north of the east/west rwy in a nose down attitude & on a southwesterly heading. The acft was destroyed during impact, but contd sliding aprx 35 yds to the north edge of the rwy, then overturned & came to rest about 120 ft from the initial impact point. An investigation revealed the acft had landed at some time btn 2300 & 0015 adt. At about 0030, thick fog formed in the vicinity of the arpt which was located beside a river. Reportedly, the acft took off about 5 min prior to the acdnt (aprx 0055 adt). At about the time of the acdnt, a witness on a river barge saw an acft flying along the river, heading toward the arpt. The wreckage was not fnd until aprx 0900 when another acft was taxiing to takeoff. The plt had purchased some alcoholic beverages & was transporting them in the acft. The seal of 1 bottle was broken, but the bottle was also broken. A check of the plt'sblood showed only a trace of alcohol which could have been attributed to putrefaction.

Aircraft

Registration
N12904
Reported as
Cessna 172M
Category
Airplane
Serial number
17262359
Airframe hours
4,068
Engine
Lycoming O-320-E2D, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
Damage
Destroyed
Flight
Personal · Part 91
Registered owner
George Neck
Airworthiness certificate
Standard, Normal
Last inspection
Annual · August 26, 1984 · 235 hours before
Departed
RDV · Red Devil, AK
Destination
BET · Bethel, AK
Airport
RDV · Red Devil

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
44
Certificate
Private
Airplane ratings
Single-engine land
Medical
Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
Seat
Right
Toxicology
Performed
Flight hours
513 total · 273 in this make and model · 468 as pilot in command · 64 in the last 90 days · 18 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours

Weather

Conditions
Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
Wind
Calm
Lowest ceiling
150 ft

FAA reports on this event · 1

The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.