Piper PA-31 accident near Port Heiden, Alaska, February 14, 1985
On February 14, 1985 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-31, registered N63719, was destroyed in an accident near Port Heiden, Alaska. It was a ferry flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
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
- February 14, 1985 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Port Heiden, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-31 · all PA-31s on the register
- Registration
- N63719 · registry record · serial 7712042
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Ferry flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THIS FLT ORIGINATED NEAR BECHAROF LAKE AND WAS DESTINED FOR COLD BAY. ACFT CRASHED INTO THE SIDE OF A MOUNTAIN AT THE 7500 FT LEVEL, 23 MILES LEFT OF COURSE. MARGINAL WEATHER CONDITIONS EXISTED INCLUDING A 35 KT RIGHT X-WIND. PLT HAD FLOWN THE SAME ROUTE ABOUT 1 HR PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT. COMPANY VFR FLT PLAN WAS FILED. ACCIDENT OCCURRED AT SUNSET.
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, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,427 hours in all; 2,250 in this make and model; 148 in the last 90 days; 48 in the last 30 days; 4,239 as pilot in command; 800 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,284 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, February 5, 1985; 23 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,500 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming TIO-540-A2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: XAB Becharof Lake 1 AK at 10:07 pm
- Destination: CDB Cold Bay AK
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°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.