Cessna 150L accident near Nome, Alaska, May 29, 1984
On May 29, 1984 at about 3:30 am local time, a Cessna 150L, registered N17024, was destroyed in an accident near Nome, Alaska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were killed. 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
- May 29, 1984 · about 3:30 am local time
- Place
- Nome, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150L · all 150Ls on the register
- Registration
- N17024 · no longer on the register · serial 15073590
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
NUMEROUS WITNESSES OBSERVED THE ACFT FLYING AT LOW ALT & BEHAVING IN AN ERRATIC MANNER. ACCORDING TO 3 WITNESSES, THE PLT BUZZED PERSONS FISHING ON A LOCAL RIVER, AN OCCUPIED ROADHOUSE & VEHICLES ON 2 ROADWAYS. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT CRASHED ON SOFT TERRAIN WHILE IN A STEEP NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE. THERE WERE 3 OCCUPANTS IN THE 2 PLACE ACFT. ONE PASSENGER OCCUPIED THE BAGGAGE COMPARTMENT WITH NO RESTRAINT DEVICES. SHE WAS STILL ALIVE AFTER IMPACT, BUT DIED BEFORE RESCUE PERSONNEL COULD REMOVE HER FROM THE WRECKAGE. BLOOD TESTS SHOWED THAT THE PLT HAD AN ALCOHOL LEVEL OF 0.182% (182 MG%). THE 2 PASSENGERS HAD BLOOD/ALCOHOL LEVELS OF 0.088% & 0.198%. THE ACFT WEIGHT & BALANCE WAS ESTIMATED TO BE 58 LBS OVER ITS MAX GROSS WT LIMIT & ITS CENTER-OF-GRAVITY WAS BEHIND THE AFT LIMIT.
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: 205 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,734 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 14, 1983; 27 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: OME Nome AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 18 knots
- Visibility: 35 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 20,000 ft
- Temperature: 37°F (3°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:56 pm from OME, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.