Bellanca 8KCAB accident near Ouzinkie, Alaska, September 17, 1984
On September 17, 1984 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Bellanca 8KCAB, registered N8592, was substantially damaged in an accident near Ouzinkie, Alaska. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were 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
- September 17, 1984 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Ouzinkie, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 8KCAB · all 8KCABs on the register
- Registration
- N8592 · no longer on the register · serial 75-73
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PLT COMPLETED 5 TURN SPIN, COCKPIT BEGAN FILLING WITH SMOKE.ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT WAS TURNED OFF AND PLT WAS DESCENDING FOR PRECAUTIONARY LANDING WHEN ELEVATOR CONTROL WAS LOST. ACFT SETTLED INTO 75 FT TALL TREES. SOURCE OF FIRE WHICH RESULTED IN BATTERY BOILING OVER WAS UNDETERMINED. FAILURE OF ELEVATOR CABLE WAS DUE TO SEVERE CORROSION WHICH PROGRESSED OVER A PERIOD OF TIME. THE PLT IS ALSO A MECHANIC AND HE PERFORMED THE LAST 100 HR INSPECTION.
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: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,078 hours in all; 87 in this make and model; 160 in the last 90 days; 1,929 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,305 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 17, 1984; 64 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,800 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-320-E1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ODK Kodiak AK at 5:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 2:00 pm
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| 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.