Cessna 172H accident near Sparrevohn, Alaska, September 1, 1989
On September 1, 1989 at about 10:30 pm local time, a Cessna 172H, registered N2459L, was substantially damaged in an accident near Sparrevohn, Alaska. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 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 BUCKET WHICH WAS BLOWN INTO THE FLIGHT PATH BY A CROSSWIND.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 1, 1989 · about 10:30 pm local time · cases in 1989
- Place
- Sparrevohn, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172H · all 172Hs on the register
- Registration
- N2459L · registry record · serial 17255659
- 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
DURING TAKEOFF FROM A GRAVEL BAR, THE AIRPLANE STRUCK A PLASTIC BUCKET THAT WAS BLOWN INTO ITS PATH BY A CROSSWIND. THE BUCKET STRUCK THE LEFT HORIZONTAL STABILIZER AS THE AIRPLANE WAS ABOUT TO LIFT-OFF. THE PILOT CONTINUED THE FLIGHT WITH NO DIFFICULTY, BUT AFTER LANDING, AN EXAM OF THE STABILIZER REVEALED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,900 hours in all; 840 in this make and model; 340 in the last 90 days; 97 in the last 30 days; 1,820 as pilot in command; 451 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,196 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 31, 1989; 87 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2G (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Jayhawk Air
The flight
- Destination: MRI Anchorage AK
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 15 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
Other NTSB records under N2459L the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N2459L on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna 172 Skyhawk 20,687 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,685 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2G 21 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Merrill Field · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in Alaska 5,932 since 1982 · 826 in the last ten years
- Alaska 9,142 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N2459L 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ANC89LA159.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.