Cessna 402B accident near Tuntutuliak, Alaska, June 12, 1995
On June 12, 1995 at about 11:30 pm local time, a Cessna 402B, registered N710WS, was substantially damaged in an accident near Tuntutuliak, Alaska (Tuntutuliak airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE AIRPORT MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL'S INADEQUATE MAINTENANCE OF THE RUNWAY BY NOT REPLACING THE YELLOW CONES THAT MARKED THE SOFT AREA. THE SOFT AREA ON THE RUNWAY WAS A RELATED FACTOR.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 12, 1995 · about 11:30 pm local time
- Place
- Tuntutuliak, Alaska · Tuntutuliak · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 402B · all 402Bs on the register
- Registration
- N710WS · no longer on the register · serial 402B0558
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE RUNWAY SURFACE HAD BEEN GRADED, AND SOFT GRADED MATERIAL HAD BEEN PUSHED INTO A SMALL DEPRESSION ADJACENT TO THE RUNWAY. THE AIRPLANE WAS TAXIING BACK TO THE RAMP, WHEN THE NOSE WHEEL ROLLED INTO THE DEPRESSION AND THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED. THE SOFT AREA/DEPRESSION HAD BEEN PREVIOUSLY MARKED WITH YELLOW CONES. THE CONES HAD BEEN REMOVED WHILE THE RUNWAY WAS BEING GRADED AND HAD NOT BEEN REPLACED. NO NOTAMS HAD BEEN ISSUED. THE ALASKA SUPPLEMENT STATED THAT THE RUNWAY WAS SOFT AND RUNWAY CONDITIONS WERE NOT MONITORED.
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: 14,500 hours in all; 1,200 in this make and model; 127 in the last 90 days; 49 in the last 30 days; 9,900 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,043 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 4, 1995; 100 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,300 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BET Bethel AK at 6:15 pm
- Destination: AK61 AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 2, 1,800 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 39 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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 N710WS the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.