Beech A35 accident near Gustavus, Alaska, July 20, 2024
On July 20, 2024 at about 10:21 pm local time, a 1948 Beech A35, registered N410B, was destroyed in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Gustavus, Alaska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were killed. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s decision to continue the visual flight rules flight into instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in controlled flight into terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 20, 2024 · about 10:21 pm local time
- Place
- Gustavus, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Beech A35, built 1948 · all A35s on the register
- Registration
- N410B · registry record · serial D-1607
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The accident airplane departed Juneau on a visual-flight-rules flight; according to ADS-B data, the flight initially headed northwest for about 72 miles. The airplane’s track then changed direction to a southwesterly heading and began flying through the mountainous terrain of Glacier Bay National Park for an additional 30 miles. The airplane’s flight track continued along a westerly heading of 245°, at an altitude of 10,875 ft above mean sea level (msl) and with a groundspeed of 141 kts, consistent with straight and level flight, before it abruptly stopped on the eastern side of East Crillon mountain. The elevation of the terrain above the last data point is about 11,220 ft msl. A preliminary NTSB weather study indicated cloud bases as low as 2,200 ft msl and tops no lower than 12,000 ft msl in the accident region, with surface visibilities less than 0.25 statute miles. The High-Resolution Rapid Refresh (HRRR) model suggested the presence of clouds from 3,000 ft msl to 12,500 ft msl in the accident region. The National Weather Service (NWS) had issued an Airmen’s Meteorological Information (AIRMET) for mountain obscuration in the accident region. An aerial search of the accident site and the surrounding area revealed portions of highly fragmented airplane wreckage on the eastern side of East Crillon mountain about 6,260 ft msl. The portions of wreckage were found more than 4,500 ft below the suspected initial impact site, and spread out over an area of rough, steep, and crevasse-covered glaciated terrain. Portions of the fragmented wreckage were subsequently identified as belonging to the accident airplane by comparing photos of the airplane’s distinctive paint scheme with photos of the wreckage. Due to dangerous conditions present at the accident site, the wreckage could not be recovered.
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
- Controlled flight into terrain or object (CFIT) during enroute
- VFR encounter with IMC during enroute (cruise) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Ceiling/visibility/precip › Below VFR minima › Contributed to outcome
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Ceiling/visibility/precip › Obscuration › Contributed to outcome
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Ceiling/visibility/precip › Low visibility › Contributed to outcome
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Identification/recognition › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 28,309 hours in all; 3,904 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: BasicMed
- Seat: unk
- Injury: fatal
Pilot-Rated Passenger
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: unk
- Injury: fatal
Passenger
- Seat: unk
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10,831.3 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 11, 2024
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental E-225 (piston); 1,708 hours total
- Not recorded
The flight
- Departed from: AJN Juneau AK at 9:44 pm
- Destination: AYA Yakutat AK
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,000 ft
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.22 inHg
- Observation at 2:33 pm from PAGS, 47 miles away
Weather report (METAR): PAGS 202233Z AUTO VRB04KT 10SM BKN010 19/16 A3022 RMK AO2 TSNO
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ANC24LA069.