Cessna 172 N73813
9 May 1992 · Ruth Glacier, Alaska, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 9 May 1992 at about 18:50 local time, a Cessna 172 registered N73813, operated by Usaf Elmendorf Aero Club, was involved in an accident near Ruth Glacier, Alaska, United States. 10 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 18:50
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Ruth Glacier, Alaska, United States
- Coordinates
- 62.4492, -149.7909
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172
- Registration
- N73813
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Usaf Elmendorf Aero Club
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Elmendorf Afb → Talkeetna
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- ANC92FA069
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
Probable cause
THE FAILURE OF THE PILOTS OF BOTH AIRPLANES TO MAINTAIN AN ADEQUATE VISUAL LOOKOUT. FACTORS WHICH CONTRIBUTED TO THE ACCIDENT WAS THE FAILURE OF THE PILOT OF THE CE-172 TO BECOME AWARE OF AND TO USE THE LISTED FREQUENCY FOR INTER AIRCRAFT COMMUNICATIONS, AND THE REDUCED VISUAL ACUITY OF THE CE-172 AGAINST THE SURROUNDING TERRAIN.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
BOTH AIRPLANES WERE ON SIGHTSEEING FLIGHTS AT ABOUT 9,200 FT MSL. THE PILOT OF THE CE-172, N73813, STATED THAT HE WAS HEADING APRX NORTHWEST, LOOKED AT MT. MCKINLEY, AND AS HE RETURNED HIS GAZE FORWARD HE SAW THE OTHER AIRPLANE AHEAD AND SLIGHTLY HIGHER BEFORE THE COLLISION. THE PILOT OF THE CE-185, N1047F, STATED THAT SHE HAD JUST FINISHED MAKING A RADIO TRANSMISSION INDICATING HER POSITION WHEN SOME OF THE PAX SAW THE OTHER AIRPLANE; SHE ESTIMATED THE OTHER AIRPLANE WAS FLYING IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION AND SLIGHTLY LOWER. THE ALASKA SUPPLEMENT IN EFFECT AT THE TIME OF THE OCCURRENCE STATED THAT FREQUENCY 122.7 IS DESIGNATED FOR INTER AIRCRAFT COMMUNICATIONS IN DENALI PARK, THE AREA IN WHICH MT. MCKINLEY IS LOCATED. THE PILOT OF THE CE-172 WAS NOT AWARE OF THE FREQUENCY. ACCORDING TO THE PILOT OF THE CE-185, THE CE-172 BLENDED IN WITH THE SURROUNDING TERRAIN WHICH CONSISTED OF VERTICAL GRANITE WALLS.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Aircraft involved
| Aircraft | Registration | Operator | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cessna 172 172 | N73813 | Usaf Elmendorf Aero Club | Substantial |
| Cessna 185 185 | N1047F | Douglas Geeting Aviation | Minor |
Other Cessna 172 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 Nov 1992 | Cessna 172M | Olympia, Washington, United States | Center O Flying Club | No injuries | - |
| 17 Nov 1992 | Cessna 172M | Vancouver, Washington, United States | Tabooma Flyers Inc. | Minor injuries | - |
| 14 Jan 1992 | Cessna 172N | Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States | Thomas Kuehn | No injuries | - |
| 21 Feb 1992 | Cessna 172N | Orlando, Florida, United States | Flight Express, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 4 May 1992 | Cessna 172N | Parkdale, Oregon, United States | Vancouver Aviation | No injuries | - |
| 18 Jul 1992 | Cessna 172N | Lake Michigan, Michigan, United States | Battle Creek Air Service, Inc. | Fatal | 4 |
All 12,209 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 Feb 1992 | Piper PA-18A-150 | Anchorage, Alaska, United States | John Clark | Minor injuries | - |
| 12 Feb 1992 | Richard C Ballow KITFOX 1 | Valdez, Alaska, United States | Jones, William Marshall | No injuries | - |
| 17 Feb 1992 | Aeronca 7AC | Sitka, Alaska, United States | Diment, Archie G. | No injuries | - |
| 9 Oct 1992 | Champion 7EC | Chugiak, Alaska, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 14 Feb 1992 | Cessna 180 | Shishmaref, Alaska, United States | Sheldon, Robert J. | Serious injuries | - |
| 19 Feb 1992 | Cessna 185F | Pelican, Alaska, United States | Bellair, Inc. | Minor injuries | - |