Aeronca 7CCM accident near Kotzebue, Alaska, August 2, 1984
On August 2, 1984 at about 1:30 am local time, a Aeronca 7CCM, registered N83138, was destroyed in an accident near Kotzebue, Alaska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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
- August 2, 1984 · about 1:30 am local time
- Place
- Kotzebue, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Aeronca 7CCM · all 7CCMs on the register
- Registration
- N83138 · no longer on the register · serial 7AC-1799
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT & ONE PAX DEPARTED ON A PLEASURE FLT FROM KIANA, AK ON 8/1/84. FOUR DAYS LATER, THE PLT'S MOTHER TRAVELED TO KOTZEBUE, AK, TO LOOK FOR HER SON. SHE WAS UNABLE TO LOCATE HIM & NOTIFIED THE FAA. A SEARCH WAS INITIATED, & ON 8/6/84,THE ACFT WAS LOCATED IN A SMALL LAKE NEAR THE NOATAK RIVER. A FAMILY FISHING NEAR THE ACCIDENT SITE STATED THEY SAW THE ACFT FLYING IN AN ERRATIC MANNER & BUZZING THE SHORELINE. AN EXAM OF THE WRECKAGE REVEALED DAMAGE THAT WAS TYPICAL OF IMPACTING IN A STALL/SPIN TYPE OF EVENT. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION WAS FOUND. TOXICOLOGY CHECKS OF THE PLT'S & PASSENGER'S BLOOD REVEALED ALCOHOL LEVELS OF 0.150% & 0.210%, RESPECTIVELY. AN INTERVIEW WITH THE PASSENGER'S WIFE REVEALED THAT THE OCCUPANTS HAD BEEN DRINKING PRIOR TO THE FLT. ACCORDING TO WITNESSES, THERE WAS AN OVERCAST AT LESS THAN 500 FT & THE VISIBILITY WAS VARIABLE WITH OCCASIONAL OBSCURATION IN RAIN SHOWERS & FOG.
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: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,250 hours in all; 200 in this make and model; 50 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (expired)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,383 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 11, 1983
- Maximum gross weight: 1,350 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-90-12F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: IAN Kiana AK at 3:30 pm
- Destination: OTZ Kotzebue AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 10 knots, gusting 15
- Sky: overcast at 500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°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.