Cessna 172M accident near Red Devil, Alaska, July 29, 1985
On July 29, 1985 at about 9:00 am local time, a Cessna 172M, registered N12904, was destroyed in an accident near Red Devil, Alaska (Red Devil airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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
- July 29, 1985 · about 9:00 am local time
- Place
- Red Devil, Alaska · Red Devil · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N12904 · no longer on the register · serial 17262359
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
SHORTLY AFTER THE PLT TOOK OFF ON A NGT FLT TO BETHEL, THE ACFT CRASHED JUST NORTH OF THE EAST/WEST RWY IN A NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE & ON A SOUTHWESTERLY HEADING. THE ACFT WAS DESTROYED DURING IMPACT, BUT CONTD SLIDING APRX 35 YDS TO THE NORTH EDGE OF THE RWY, THEN OVERTURNED & CAME TO REST ABOUT 120 FT FROM THE INITIAL IMPACT POINT. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED THE ACFT HAD LANDED AT SOME TIME BTN 2300 & 0015 ADT. AT ABOUT 0030, THICK FOG FORMED IN THE VICINITY OF THE ARPT WHICH WAS LOCATED BESIDE A RIVER. REPORTEDLY, THE ACFT TOOK OFF ABOUT 5 MIN PRIOR TO THE ACDNT (APRX 0055 ADT). AT ABOUT THE TIME OF THE ACDNT, A WITNESS ON A RIVER BARGE SAW AN ACFT FLYING ALONG THE RIVER, HEADING TOWARD THE ARPT. THE WRECKAGE WAS NOT FND UNTIL APRX 0900 WHEN ANOTHER ACFT WAS TAXIING TO TAKEOFF. THE PLT HAD PURCHASED SOME ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES & WAS TRANSPORTING THEM IN THE ACFT. THE SEAL OF 1 BOTTLE WAS BROKEN, BUT THE BOTTLE WAS ALSO BROKEN. A CHECK OF THE PLT'SBLOOD SHOWED ONLY A TRACE OF ALCOHOL WHICH COULD HAVE BEEN ATTRIBUTED TO PUTREFACTION.
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: single-engine land
- Flight time: 513 hours in all; 273 in this make and model; 64 in the last 90 days; 18 in the last 30 days; 468 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,068 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 26, 1984; 235 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: RDV Red Devil AK
- Destination: BET Bethel AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0, 5,200 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 1:00 am
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.