Gulfstream Aerospace 690C accident near Deadhorse, Alaska, October 12, 1990
On October 12, 1990 at about 1:30 am local time, a Gulfstream Aerospace 690C, registered N45Q, was destroyed in an accident near Deadhorse, Alaska. It was a public-use flight under public-use (government) rules. 3 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Missing aircraft.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 12, 1990 · about 1:30 am local time
- Place
- Deadhorse, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Gulfstream Aerospace 690C
- Registration
- N45Q · registry record · serial 11623
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Public-use flight · public-use (government) rules
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane with a certificated airline transport pilot and two passengers aboard departed on a US Department of the Interior, public use flight over the Arctic Ocean. The purpose of the flight was to locate radio collared polar bears. Radar contact with the airplane was lost while it was maneuvering at 22,000 feet msl about 200 miles from shore. The airplane did not reach the intended destination, and neither the airplane nor its occupants were located during an extensive 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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 17,500 hours in all; 1,200 in this make and model; 153 in the last 90 days; 16,000 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 2, 1991
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,115 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, October 1, 1991; 13.8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 10,325 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Garrett TPE331-5-254K (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Alaska Helicopters Inc
The flight
- Departed from: PALP Deadhorse AK at 5:29 pm
- Destination: PALP Deadhorse AK
- Flight plan: VFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.