Cessna 208 accident near Bethel, Alaska, November 1, 1985
On November 1, 1985 at about 1:50 pm local time, a Cessna 208, registered N9241F, was destroyed in an accident near Bethel, Alaska (Bethel airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 2 people were killed and 2 people were seriously injured. 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
- November 1, 1985 · about 1:50 pm local time
- Place
- Bethel, Alaska · Bethel · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed and 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 208 · all 208s on the register
- Registration
- N9241F · no longer on the register · serial 20800006
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A TOTAL LOSS OF PWR WAS EXPERIENCED ON TAKEOFF DUE TO THE FUEL SELECTORS BEING IN THE OFF POSITION. THE PLT ATTEMPTED TO RESTART THE ENG DURING WHICH TIME THE ACFT ENTERED A STALL AND COLLIDED WITH THE TERRAIN. ACCORDING TO PASSENGERS THE PLT DID NOT USE A CHECKLIST NOR WHERE THE PASSENGERS BRIEFED BEFORE THE FLT. THE WRECKAGE WAS VISIBLE FROM THE ARPT CONTROL TWR BUT WAS NOT LOCATED UNTIL SEVERAL HOURS AFTER THE ACCIDENT BY AIR SEARCH.
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: 3,009 hours in all; 154 in this make and model; 209 in the last 90 days; 54 in the last 30 days; 2,850 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 860 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 15, 1985; 60 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 7,300 lb
- Seats: 10
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W PT6A-114 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Hermens Air, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: BET Bethel AK at 1:50 pm
- Destination: VAK Chevak AK
- Runway 18, 6,399 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 3,800 ft; not recorded at 3,800 ft
- Temperature: 16°F (-9°C), dew point 9°F (-13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:56 pm from BET, 8 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 2 |
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.