Grumman G-44A accident near Big Lake, Alaska, July 31, 1983
On July 31, 1983, a Grumman G-44A, registered N1423, was destroyed in an accident near Big Lake, Alaska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured. 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
- July 31, 1983
- Place
- Big Lake, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Grumman G-44A · all G-44As on the register
- Registration
- N1423 · registry record · serial 1423
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT CRASHED IN A LEVEL, WOODED AREA. THE INITIAL IMPACT WITH TREES OCCURRED APRX 40 FT AGL. BOTH WING TIPS & A PORTION OF THE LEFT STABILIZER & ELEVATOR WERE FOUND AT THE BASES OF THE TREES THAT WERE FIRST IMPACTED. FROM THE FIRST IMPACT POINT, THE WRECKAGE WAS DISENTEGRATED & SCATTERED OVER AN AREA THAT WAS 30 FT WIDE & 140 FT LONG. NO KNOWN EYE WITNESSES WERE REPORTED. HOWEVER, A SHORT TIME BEFORE THE ACCIDENT, THE ACFT WAS OBSERVED BEING FLOWN IN ABRUPT MANEUVERS & BUZZING BOATS. A TOXICOLOGICAL EXAM OF THE PLT'S BLOOD SHOWED AN ALCOHOL LEVEL OF 0.241%. AN EXAM OF THE WRECKAGE WAS MADE, BUT NO PREIMPACT/MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION OR FAILURES WERE FOUND.
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, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: helicopter
- Flight time: 3,726 hours in all; 420 in this make and model; 92 in the last 90 days; 40 in the last 30 days; 3,542 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (expired)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,200 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 15, 1983; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,525 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Ranger 6-440C-5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 68°F (20°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.