Cessna 172 accident near Nightmute, Alaska, April 27, 1985
On April 27, 1985 at about 5:40 pm local time, a Cessna 172, registered N52174, was substantially damaged in an accident near Nightmute, Alaska (Nightmute airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person had minor injuries. 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 27, 1985 · about 5:40 pm local time
- Place
- Nightmute, Alaska · Nightmute
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N52174 · no longer on the register · serial 17274426
- 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
THE PLT STATED THAT SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF, HE LOST CONTROL OF THE ACFT. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT CRASHED & WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED. THE PLT REPORTED THAT THE WIND WAS FROM 290 DEG AT 25 GUSTING 35 KTS.
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, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,470 hours in all; 330 in this make and model; 250 in the last 90 days; 110 in the last 30 days; 3,550 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: None (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: BET Bethel AK
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 20, 200 ft by 40 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 25 knots, gusting 35
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 16°F (-9°C), dew point 1°F (-17°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.