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).
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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 October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 1, 1989 · about 10:30 pm local time
- 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 |
Other NTSB records under N2459L the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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 docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site 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 ANC89LA159.