Cessna 336 accident near Anchorage, Alaska, April 25, 1985
On April 25, 1985, a Cessna 336, registered N1716Z, was substantially damaged in an accident near Anchorage, Alaska (Merrill airport). It was a personal 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
- April 25, 1985
- Place
- Anchorage, Alaska · Merrill · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 336 · all 336s on the register
- Registration
- N1716Z · no longer on the register · serial 3660016
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WITNESS NEAR THE CRASH SITE STATED THAT BOTH AIRCRAFT ENGINES WERE STOPPED PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT. THE PLT REPORTED THAT BEFORE TAKING OFF, THE FUEL QUANTITY GAGES INDICATED THERE WAS SUFFICIENT FUEL FOR THE FLIGHT, THE PLT DID NOT PREFLIGHTTHE AIRCRAFT. EXAMINATION OF THE TANKS REVEALED A TOTAL OF THREE GALLONS OF FUEL ON BOARD.
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: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 384 hours in all; 6 in this make and model; 50 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 292 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,979 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 10, 1984; 67 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,900 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-360-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Z15 Chugiak AK
- Destination: MRI Anchorage AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 33, 2,469 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 18,000 ft; scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.