Cessna 182 accident near Bettles, Alaska, June 8, 1983
On June 8, 1983 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Cessna 182, registered N3136U, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bettles, Alaska (Flat Creek Mine airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was 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
- June 8, 1983 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Bettles, Alaska · Flat Creek Mine · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182 · all 182s on the register
- Registration
- N3136U · no longer on the register · serial 18254536
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WENT OFF THE DEPARTURE END OF THE RUNWAY DURING A NIGHT LANDING AND NOSED OVER. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE PULLEDOFF POWER FOR THE FLARE AND THE ACFT SEEMED TO GAIN AIRSPEED. HE DECIDED TO GO-AROUND, ADDED FULL POWER, BUT SAW THE END OF THE RUNWAY AND TREES COMING UP SO HE DECIDED NOT TO GO-AROUND. THE ACFT CROSSED A WASH AT RUNWAYS END AND IT NOSED OVER TO AN INVERTED POSITION.
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: 1,016 hours in all; 261 in this make and model; 79 in the last 90 days; 40 in the last 30 days; 950 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,259 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 19, 1983; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,900 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FAI Fairbanks AK at 11:40 am
- Destination: BTT Bettles AK
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 20, 1,200 ft by 20 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.