Bellanca 17-30 accident near Tok, Alaska, September 30, 1982
On September 30, 1982, a Bellanca 17-30, registered N4037B, was substantially damaged in an accident near Tok, Alaska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 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 NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 30, 1982
- Place
- Tok, Alaska
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 17-30 · all 17-30s on the register
- Registration
- N4037B · no longer on the register · serial 75-30787
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRCRAFT WAS ON A LOW ALTITUDE VFR FLIGHT TO NORTWAY, AK. THE PILOT HAD JUST REVERSED COURSE DUE TO ADVERSE WEATHER WHEN HIS AUXILIARY FUEL TANK RAN DRY. HE SWITCHED TO A MAIN FUEL TANK WHICH HAD FUEL AND TURNED THE BOOST PUMP ON, BUT THE ENGINE FAILED TO RESTART. THE AIRCRAFT COLLIDED WITH TREES AND CAME TO REST APPROXIMATELY 150 FEET FROM A HIGHWAY.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,695 hours in all; 203 in this make and model; 49 in the last 90 days; 1,596 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 879 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 135 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,000 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Fairbanks AK at 3:40 pm
- Destination: Northway AK
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 18 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,700 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 95°F (35°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.
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.