Cessna 188 accident near Fairbanks, Alaska, August 26, 1984
On August 26, 1984 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Cessna 188, registered N731BT, was substantially damaged in an accident near Fairbanks, Alaska. 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
- August 26, 1984 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Fairbanks, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 188 · all 188s on the register
- Registration
- N731BT · no longer on the register · serial 18802774T
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT LANDED SHORT OF THE RWY AT A MINING STRIP. THE PLT SAID HE ENCOUNTERED A DOWNDRAFT AND IN SPITE OF THE ADDITIONOF FULL POWER THE ACFT DESCENDED TO THE GROUND. THE ACFT WAS LOADED WITH 150 GALLONS OF DIESEL FUEL IN THE HOPPER AND THE PLT ATTEMPTED TO JETTISON THE LOAD. THIS ACFT HAS BEEN USED PRIMARILY TO HAUL FUEL TO THE MINING STRIPS IN THE AREA.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,530 hours in all; 200 in this make and model; 75 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days; 3,405 as pilot in command; 127 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,200 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, February 28, 1984; 30 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Holland Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: 95Z Bradley Sky Rnc AK at 4:25 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 10 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,000 ft; not recorded at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
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.