Cessna 150 accident near Chicken, Alaska, August 22, 1992
On August 22, 1992 at about 6:45 am local time, a Cessna 150, registered N60725, was substantially damaged in an accident near Chicken, Alaska. It was an instructional 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 SELECTION OF UNSUITABLE TERRAIN. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WERE THE PILOT INADVERTENTLY BECAME LOST/DISORIENTED, HER LACK OF TOTAL EXPEREINCE, HER LACK OF FAMILIARITY WITH THE GEOGRAPHICAL AREA, THE POOR LIGHTING CONDITION (DUSK), AND THE WEATHER CONDITION (RAIN).
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 6:45 am local time
- Place
- Chicken, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150 · all 150s on the register
- Registration
- N60725 · registry record · serial 15070527
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE STUDENT PILOT SAID THAT DURING THE RETURN LEG OF A CROSS COUNTRY FLIGHT, SHE BECAME DISORIENTED, THEN BECAUSE OF DETERIORATING WEATHER AND ONCOMING DARKNESS, DECIDED TO LAND ON A RIVER GRAVEL BAR. DURING THE LANDING ROLL THE AIRPLANE HIT A LOG AND NOSED OVER. THE PILOT SAID BECAUSE OF THE POOR LIGHT CONDITIONS AND A LIGHT RAIN, HER SELECTION OF A BETTER LANDING AREA WAS HAMPERED.
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: student
- Flight time: 38 hours in all; 38 in this make and model; 38 in the last 90 days; 29 in the last 30 days; 14 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,926 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 4, 1992; 49 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CHP Circle Hot Spr AK
- Destination: FAI Fairbanks AK
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 50°F (10°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.