- Date
- August 22, 1991, 19:40 local (Aug 23, 1991, 03:40 UTC)
- Place
- Eklutna Lake, AK
- Injuries
- 3 fatal, 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N98785Cessna 172
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 24, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19910822036559A
- Case key
- 5489
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain terrain clearance. Contributing to the accident was the high terrain.
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
The airplane struck the mountain at the 3,750 foot level while on a sightseeing trip looking for mountain sheep. The pilot and two passengers were fatally injured, and one passenger received serious injuries. The passenger stated that they were flying below the ridgeline when they struck the mountain.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N98785
- Reported as
- Cessna 172
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17276352
- Airframe hours
- 4,467
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-D2J, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 16, 1991 · 20 hours before
- Departed
- 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
- 22
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 950 total · 230 in this make and model · 880 as pilot in command · 40 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 50 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.