Cessna 340 accident near Yakutat, Alaska, May 4, 1992
On May 4, 1992 at about 2:30 am local time, a Cessna 340, registered N69469, was destroyed in an accident near Yakutat, Alaska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 5 people were killed. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
MISSING AIRCRAFT DUE TO UNDETERMINED CAUSES.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 4, 1992 · about 2:30 am local time
- Place
- Yakutat, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 5 people were killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Cessna 340 · all 340s on the register
- Registration
- N69469 · no longer on the register · serial 340-0316
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRPLANE BECAME MISSING WHILE ON AN IFR FLIGHT IN INSTRUMENT CONDITIONS FROM YAKUTAT, ALASKA TO ANCHORAGE, ALASKA. THERE WAS NOT FURTHER RADIO COMMUNICATION WITH THE AIRPLANE AFTER THE PILOT REPORTED LEVEL AT HIS ASSIGNED ALTITUDE OF 12,000 FEET MSL. AFTER LISTENING TO FAA AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL TAPES OF COMMUNICATIONS WITH THE PILOT, HIS WIFE STATED THAT SEVERAL MINUTES AFTER THE POINT WHICH THE FAA SAID WAS THE LAST TRANSMISSION FROM THE PILOT, SHE HEARD HER HUSBAND SAY SOMETHING ABOUT '6,000' AND 'ICING CONDITIONS'. AN ENHANCEMENT EXAMINATION OF THE TAPES BY THE FBI LABORATORY FAILED TO CONFIRM THIS INFORMATION. AIRCRAFT DAMAGE AND OCCUPANT INJURIES ARE PRESUMED.
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: commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,334 hours in all; 460 in this make and model; 2,232 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 31, 1991
- Maximum gross weight: 5,975 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
- Not recorded
The flight
- Destination: MRI Anchorage AK
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 17 knots, gusting 24
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,100 ft; scat at 500 ft
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:40 pm from YAK, 70 miles away
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.
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.