Cessna 172M accident near Theodore River, Alaska, July 1, 1985
On July 1, 1985 at about 4:45 am local time, a Cessna 172M, registered N20541, was substantially damaged in an accident near Theodore River, Alaska. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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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 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 1, 1985 · about 4:45 am local time
- Place
- Theodore River, Alaska
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N20541 · registry record · serial 17261378
- 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
AFTER LOADING THE ACFT TO ITS MAX GROSS WT, THE PLT INITIATED A TAKEOFF FROM A ROAD ON LEVEL TERRAIN THAT HAD NUMEROUS DIPS & BUMPS. THE ROAD WAS ONLY 11 FT WIDE & WAS BORDERED BY HEAVY BRUSH. THE PLT REPORTED THAT PRIOR TO REACHING THE LIFT-OFF SPEED DURING TAKEOFF, THE ACFT WENT OVER A HUMP IN THE ROAD & BECAME AIRBORNE. IT DRIFTED SLIGHTLY TO THE RIGHT & THE RIGHT MAIN GEAR CONTACTED BRUSH, THEN THE PLANE YAWED & ROLLED TO THE RIGHT. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT SETTLED BACK TO THE ROAD & BRUSH, SLID INTO A DITCH, ENCOUNTERED SOFT TUNDRA & NOSED OVER.
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; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,235 hours in all; 159 in this make and model; 224 in the last 90 days; 4,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,506 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, December 1, 1985; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: MRI Anchorage AK
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:45 pm
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ANC85LA114.