Cessna 172 accident near Ekuk, Alaska, October 31, 1991
On October 31, 1991 at about 9:20 pm local time, a Cessna 172, registered N46279, was substantially damaged in an accident near Ekuk, Alaska (Ekuk airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S IMPROPER IN FLIGHT PLANNING AND DECISION IN THAT HE ATTEMPTED TO TOUCHDOWN TOO CLOSE TO THE LOG.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 12, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 31, 1991 · about 9:20 pm local time · cases in 1991
- Place
- Ekuk, Alaska · Ekuk · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N46279 · no longer on the register · serial 17257152
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT STATED HE OBSERVED A LOG ON THE APPROACH END OF THE RUNWAY AND TRIED TO MISS IT DURING THE TOUCHDOWN BUT THE AIRCRAFT NOSE WHEEL & FUSELAGE CONTACTED THE LOG.
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: 509 hours in all; 470 in this make and model; 56 in the last 90 days; 17 in the last 30 days; 509 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,818 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 21, 1991; 30 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DLG Dillingham AK at 8:00 pm
- Destination: KKU Ekuk AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 28, 1,200 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.
Other NTSB records under N46279 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N46279: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Cessna 172 Skyhawk 20,680 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,684 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D 258 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Ekuk Airport · nearest airport
- Dillingham Airport · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Alaska 5,930 since 1982 · 824 in the last ten years
- Alaska 9,146 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N46279 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ANC92LA012.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.