Cessna 150-F accident near Whittier, Alaska, August 22, 1992
On August 22, 1992 at about 2:30 am local time, a Cessna 150-F, registered CGVJM, was substantially damaged in an accident near Whittier, Alaska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S IMPROPER IN FLIGHT PLANNING/DECISION, AND HIS INADVERTENT VFR FLIGHT INTO IMC WEATHER CONDITIONS. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WERE THE PILOT'S LACK OF TOTAL EXPERIENCE WITH THIS TYPE OPERATION, AND THE MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 22, 1992 · about 2:30 am local time
- Place
- Whittier, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150-F · all 150-Fs on the register
- Registration
- CGVJM · no longer on the register · serial 150-63474
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AS THE PILOT APPROACHED A PASS, HE FOUND IT CLOSED BY LOW CLOUDS. HE TURNED TO REVERSE DIRECTION, THEN STARTED A CLIMB THROUGH A HOLE IN THE CLOUDS. HE STATED THAT THE HOLE SUDDENLY CLOSED AND HE WAS IN THE CLOUDS. HE AGAIN TURNED TO ATTEMPT TO RETURN TO VFR CONDITIONS. SUDDENLY HE SAW A MOUNTAIN TO HIS FRONT AND THEN IMPACTED BEFORE HE COULD TURN AWAY.
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: foreign licence, private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 119 hours in all; 98 in this make and model; 76 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,027 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 11, 1991; 98 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CKU Cordova AK at 8:30 pm
- Destination: ANC Anchorage AK
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 070° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 800 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:51 pm from AK66, 6 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.