Cessna 182M accident near Bethel, Alaska, January 25, 1982
On January 25, 1982 at about 3:15 pm local time, a Cessna 182M, registered N71734, was destroyed in an accident near Bethel, Alaska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 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 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 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 25, 1982 · about 3:15 pm local time
- Place
- Bethel, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182M · all 182Ms on the register
- Registration
- N71734 · registry record · serial 18259734
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT FILED A VFR, ROUND ROBIN, FLIGHT PLAN. WHEN THE TIME ON THE FLIGHT PLAN HAD ELAPSED, A SEARCH WAS INITIATED. LATER, THE PLANE WAS FOUND WHERE IT HAD CRASHED ON A FROZEN LAKE SURROUNDED BY LOW TERRAIN. AN EXAMINATION OF THE WRECKAGE REVEALED THAT THE PLANE HAD DISINTEGRATED DURING IMPACT. ALL OF THE WRECKAGE WAS CONTAINED WITHIN AN AREA STARTING FROM THE IMPACT POINT AND EXTENDING ALONG A STRAIGHT LINE. NO PRE-CRASH COMPONENT OR SYSTEM FUNCTIONAL FAILURES WERE EVIDENT. ONE PILOT, FLYING IN THE AREA OF THE ACCIDENT, REPORTED A SKY CONDITION AS LOW AS 500 FT OVERCAST WITH TWO MILES VISIBILITY AND LIGHT SNOW SHOWERS. ANOTHER PILOT IN THE AREA REPORTED NEAR WHITE-OUT CONDITIONS.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 358 hours in all; 139 in this make and model; 327 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,050 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,850 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Bethel AK
- Destination: Eek AK
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 006° at 11 knots
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
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 ANC82DAG16.