Maule M-4-210C accident near 60 E Of Bethel, Alaska, October 1, 1990
On October 1, 1990 at about 5:23 am local time, a Maule M-4-210C, registered N51441, was destroyed in an accident near 60 E Of Bethel, Alaska. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
CONTINUED VFR FLIGHT BY THE PILOT INTO INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS (IMC), AND HIS FAILURE TO MAINTAIN ALTITUDE AND CLEARANCE ABOVE MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: DARKNESS, ADVERSE TERRAIN AND WEATHER CONDITIONS, THE PILOT'S LACK OF INSTRUMENT EXPERIENCE, AND THE PILOT BECOMING LOST OR DISORIENTED.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 1, 1990 · about 5:23 am local time
- Place
- 60 E Of Bethel, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Maule M-4-210C · all M-4-210Cs on the register
- Registration
- N51441 · registry record · serial 1103C
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
BFR FLT FM ANCHORAGE TO BETHEL, AK, NON-INST RATED PLT WAS ADZD THAT VFR FLT WASN'T RCMDD. EN ROUTE, HE CONVERSED WITH MCGRATH FSS WHILE VFR-ON-TOP & INDCD HE WOULD DSCND THRU HOLE IN CLDS TO LND/REFUEL AT LIME, AK. AT 1948 ADT, HE RPRTD EN ROUTE AGAIN, 150 MI EAST OF BETHEL. AT 2054, PLT CTCD BETHEL FSS FOR TFC & WX ADZY & RPRTD 40 MI EAST IN 'A LITTLE BIT OF FOG.' ABT 10 MIN LTR, HE SAID HE WAS GETTING DISORIENTED, REQD ASSISTANCE, THEN RPRTD '60 MI OUT.' HE INDCD HE COULDN'T SEE TO SET TRANSPONDER TO 7700 (AT NGT). AT 2106, HE RPRTD AT 6000' & ASKED ABT FCST CIG & 'HOW HI CAN I GO TO GET UP OUT OF THIS IF I GET SOME REFERENCE.' RDO CTC WAS LOST FOR ABT 12 MIN, THEN PLT SAID HE WAS AT 3700' & STILL 58 MI FM BETHEL. NO DF STROBE OR RADAR INFO WAS OBTAINED, THOUGH A DF STEER WAS BGN AT 2119, BUT WAS NOT ATTAINED. ACFT IMPACTED 45-50 DEG RISING TRRN ABT 100' BLO MTN RIDGE AT 3200' LVL. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE/MALFUNCTION WAS FND. EXAM REVEALED: ENG RPM 2699, THROTTLE/MIXTURE FULL FWD, AIRSPD 30 KTS. PROP WAS FND 15' UPHILL FM WRECKAGE WITH EXTSV DMG.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 435 hours in all; 392 in this make and model; 379 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,329 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 8, 1990; 9 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-360-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 23AK Lime Village AK at 10:45 pm
- Destination: BET Bethel AK
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Sky: overcast
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°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.
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.