- Date
- March 25, 1998, 16:30 local (20:30 UTC)
- Place
- Paxson, AK
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N7339TCessna 172A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 15, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19980325004289A
- Case key
- 3124
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 pilots failure to maintain terrain clearance while flying into a box canyon, and an inadvertent stall during his attempt to reverse direction.
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 private pilot stated to the NTSB Investigator-In-Charge that he flew the airplane into a ravine to view animals, and realized that the airplane could not climb out of the ravine. He said that while attempting to reverse the airplane's direction at slow speed, the airplane stalled, and collided with rising terrain.
Factual narrative
On March 25, 1998, at 1630 Alaska standard time, a Cessna 172A airplane, N7339T, was destroyed when it collided with terrain 15 miles west-southwest of Paxson, Alaska. The private pilot and the two passengers aboard were uninjured. The airplane was co-owned by the pilot. The flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91 as a personal flight to view animals. Visual meteorological condition prevailed at the time of the accident, and no flight plan was filed.
The pilot stated during an interview with the NTSB IIC on March 26, 1998, that he flew the airplane into a ravine, realized that the airplane could not climb out of it, and attempted to reverse direction at slow speed. He indicated that during the turn the airplane stalled, collided with rising terrain, and nosed onto its back.
The pilot did not complete and return the Pilot/Operator Reports which were sent to him.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7339T
- Reported as
- Cessna 172A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 46939
- Engine
- Continental O-300, 145 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Gary Farinola
- Registered owner
- Jill Adelstein
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- FAI · Fairbanks, AK
- Destination
- FAI · Fairbanks, AK
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
- Left
- Flight hours
- 520 total · 520 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.