Cessna 402 accident near Kotzebue, Alaska, December 11, 1989
On December 11, 1989 at about 10:20 pm local time, a Cessna 402, registered N67941, was substantially damaged in an accident near Kotzebue, Alaska (Ralph Wien Memorial airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
PHYSICAL IMPAIRMENT OF THE VEHICLE DRIVER, FROM CONSUMPTION OF ALCOHOL, WHICH RESULTED IN A COLLISION WITH THE AIRPLANE. THE VEHICLE AND DARK NIGHT WERE CONSIDERED TO BE RELATED FACTORS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 11, 1989 · about 10:20 pm local time
- Place
- Kotzebue, Alaska · Ralph Wien Memorial
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 402 · all 402s on the register
- Registration
- N67941 · no longer on the register · serial 402C0633
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,975 hours in all; 920 in this make and model; 370 in the last 90 days; 110 in the last 30 days; 3,815 as pilot in command; 139 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,048 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, December 9, 1989; 5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,850 lb
- Seats: 10
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-VB (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Baker Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: IAN Kiana AK at 9:57 pm
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 35, 3,800 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 060° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 6,500 ft; not recorded at 6,500 ft
- Temperature: 19°F (-7°C), dew point 16°F (-9°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:57 pm from OTZ
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 4 |
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 N67941 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.