- Date
- June 30, 1985, 20:45 local (Jul 1, 1985, 04:45 UTC)
- Place
- Theodore River, AK
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N20541Cessna 172M
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19850630031439A
- Case key
- 4514
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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.
Analysis
After loading the acft to its max gross wt, the plt initiated a takeoff from a road on level terrain that had numerous dips & bumps. The road was only 11 ft wide & was bordered by heavy brush. The plt reported that prior to reaching the lift-off speed during takeoff, the acft went over a hump in the road & became airborne. It drifted slightly to the right & the right main gear contacted brush, then the plane yawed & rolled to the right. Subsequently, the acft settled back to the road & brush, slid into a ditch, encountered soft tundra & nosed over.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N20541
- Reported as
- Cessna 172M
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17261378
- Airframe hours
- 5,506
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-D2A, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Kenneth D. Triplett
- Registered owner
- Kenneth D. Triplett
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · December 1, 1985 · 20 hours before
- Destination
- MRI · Anchorage, AK
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
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
- 45
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 4,235 total · 159 in this make and model · 4,000 as pilot in command · 224 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 200° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 68 °F, dew point 46 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.