Cessna 402A accident near Kotlik, Alaska, December 13, 1983
On December 13, 1983 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Cessna 402A, registered N4511Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near Kotlik, Alaska (Kotlik airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person had minor injuries; 7 others were unhurt. 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
- December 13, 1983 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Kotlik, Alaska · Kotlik · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 7 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 402A · all 402As on the register
- Registration
- N4511Q · no longer on the register · serial 402A-0011
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING ARRIVAL, THE PLT LANDED ON THE FROZEN RIVER, WHICH WAS BEING USED IN LIEU OF THE KOTLIK AIRSTRIP. THE LANDING AREA ON THE RIVER WAS APRX 5000 FT LONG. AFTER TOUCHDOWN DURING THE LANDING, SOME SMALL CHILDREN HAD RUN ONTO THE DEPARTURE END OF THE LANDING AREA. THE PLT ELECTED TO GO AROUND. HE STATED THAT WHEN HE APPLIED POWER, THE RIGHT ENG DID NOT DELIVER FULL POWER. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT VEERED TO THE RIGHT, WENT OFF THE FROZEN RIVER & CAME TO REST IN AN AREA OF DENSE WILLOWS.
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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 5,300 hours in all; 115 in this make and model; 240 in the last 90 days; 5,100 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,895 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 5, 1983; 89 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,300 lb
- Seats: 10
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-E (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: OME Nome AK at 7:13 pm
- Runway 0, 5,000 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 3°F (-16°C), dew point 3°F (-16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:38 pm from BET, 145 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 6 |
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.