Cessna 172C accident near Fairbanks, Alaska, October 18, 2013
On October 18, 2013 at about 1:11 am local time, a 1962 Cessna 172C, registered N1512Y, was substantially damaged in an accident during initial climb near Fairbanks, Alaska (Fairbanks Intl airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to ensure that adequate fuel was on board the airplane, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and a subsequent collision with terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 18, 2013 · about 1:11 am local time
- Place
- Fairbanks, Alaska · Fairbanks Intl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172C, built 1962 · all 172Cs on the register
- Registration
- N1512Y · no longer on the register · serial 17249212
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was departing on a short cross-country flight to deliver the airplane for some elective maintenance. He requested and received clearance for an intersection departure. After departure, an air traffic controller instructed the pilot to turn left and proceed on course, but the pilot did not respond. Controllers reported observing the airplane initiating a left turn before descending and impacting terrain on the south side of the airport property. Postaccident examinations of the airplane revealed no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. However, the examinations did reveal propeller signatures consistent with the engine not producing power at the time of impact. About 2 gallons of what appeared to be 100LL aviation fuel was drained from the right fuel tank and about 0.5 gallon of fuel was drained from the left fuel tank at the accident site. The drained fuel was clean, and no water was present. The carburetor fuel bowl was removed, and it contained only a small amount of fuel. The accelerator pump was actuated by hand, and it did not discharge fuel. No fuel leakage was noted at the accident site. Given the amount of fuel removed from the airplane at the accident site and the propeller signatures consistent with a lack of power, it is likely that the loss of engine power resulted from fuel exhaustion. A Boeing 737 (737) airplane departed the parallel runway about 1 minute 45 seconds before the accident airplane departed. Although it is possible that wake turbulence existed in the 737's departure corridor, no evidence was found indicating that the accident airplane experienced wake turbulence. Toxicological testing revealed that the pilot had a significant amount of glucose in his urine and an elevated Hemoglobin A1C level, indicating that he had diabetes. Family members reported that the pilot was not actively being treated for the condition. The pilot's actual glucose level at the time of the accident could not be determined; however, based on the available evidence, it is unlikely that the pilot was acutely incapacitated by his diabetes at the time of the accident.
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
What happened, in order
- Loss of engine power (total) during initial climb defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during emergency descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Inspection › Preflight inspection › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid level
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Fuel planning › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 600 hours in all; 400 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,501 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 15, 2013; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,299 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor O-300 SER (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FAI Fairbanks AK
- Destination: North Pole AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 20L, 6,501 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 020° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 10,000 ft; a few clouds at 7,500 ft
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 29.70 inHg
- Observation at 1:21 am from PAFA
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.
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.