Cessna 172M incident near Aniak, Alaska, July 14, 2004
On July 14, 2004, a Cessna 172M, registered N1453V, suffered minor damage in an incident near Aniak, Alaska. It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate in-flight planning/decision which resulted in fuel exhaustion and the loss of engine power.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 14, 2004
- Place
- Aniak, Alaska · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N1453V · no longer on the register · serial 17263590
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airline transport pilot was conducting an air taxi passenger flight when the airplane's engine lost power and he was forced to make an emergency landing. The airplane received minor damage during the subsequent landing on tundra-covered terrain. The flight consisted of four takeoffs and landings, and had covered about 160 miles. An FAA inspector inspected the airplane, and found no usable amount of fuel in either wing tank, with no signs of leakage or spillage. According to the FAA inspector, the pilot indicated he added fuel prior to his departure, but did not observe the actual amount of fuel in the tanks. In his written report to the NTSB, the pilot did not indicate that there were any mechanical problems with the airplane. When the airplane was refueled, it started and ran without difficulties.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,300 hours in all; 150 in this make and model; 182 in the last 90 days; 61 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: August 1, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,422 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 8, 2004; 93 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Inland Aviation Serv
The flight
- Departed from: HCA Holy Cross AK at 7:10 pm
- Destination: PANI Aniak AK
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 11 knots, gusting 17
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N1453V the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.