Cessna T-41B (R-172E) accident near Healy, Alaska, March 26, 1983
On March 26, 1983 at about 2:11 pm local time, a Cessna T-41B (R-172E), registered N65104, was substantially damaged in an accident near Healy, Alaska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries; 2 others were unhurt. 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
- March 26, 1983 · about 2:11 pm local time
- Place
- Healy, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries; 2 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T-41B (R-172E) T-41B (R-1 · all T-41B (R-172E)s on the register
- Registration
- N65104 · no longer on the register · serial 67-15063
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT REPORTED THAT WHILE CRUISING AT 4000 FT MSL, THE ENG POWER BEGAN TO FLUCTUATE, THEN THIS WAS FOLLOWED BY A BANGING NOISE, ROUGH ENG OPERATION & A DECLINE IN POWER OUTPUT. HE HAD TURNED TO LAND INTO THE WIND WHEN THE ENG POWER INCREASED & STABILIZED. THEREFORE HE TURNED DOWNWIND TO ATTEMPT TO REACH A HIGHWAY. HOWEVER, A SHORT TIME LATER, THE ENG STOPPED COMPLETELY & HE WAS COMMITTED TO LAND DOWNWIND & DOWNHILL. DURING THE LANDING, THE ACFT NOSED OVER. AN ENG TEARDOWN REVEALED THAT THE #4 EXHAUST PUSHROD, PN 630393, HAD FAILED. REPORTEDLY, THE WIND WAS GUSTING TO 35 KTS.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: helicopter; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 2,451 hours in all; 30 in this make and model; 66 in the last 90 days; 1,573 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,492 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 29, 1982; 62 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,500 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-360-D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Fort Wainwright Flying Club
The flight
- Departed from: FBK Fort Wainwright AK at 9:30 am
- Destination: MRI Anchorage AK
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 30 knots, gusting 35
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 16°F (-9°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 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.