Cessna 172M N12904

Summary

On 29 July 1985 at about 09:00 local time, a Cessna 172M registered N12904 was involved in an accident near Red Devil, Alaska, United States. 4 people were on board and 4 died. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.

Date

29 July 1985 at 09:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Red Devil, Alaska, United States

Nearest airport

Red Devil (RDV)

Coordinates

61.9390, -157.6192

Aircraft

Cessna 172M

Registration

N12904

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Red Devil → Bethel

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

IMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

ANC85FA138

4 people died.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

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.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.