Cessna 172M accident near Bethel, Alaska, December 4, 1996
On December 4, 1996 at about 1:54 pm local time, a Cessna 172M, registered N20024, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bethel, Alaska (Bethel airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's improper planning/decision, and resultant failure to obtain/maintain sufficient airspeed during takeoff. A factor related the accident was: taking off with a tailwind.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 4, 1996 · about 1:54 pm local time
- Place
- Bethel, Alaska · Bethel · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N20024 · no longer on the register · serial 17260940
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot and two passengers were departing on a cross-country on-demand charter flight. The airplane was 120 pounds below maximum gross weight. The pilot departed runway 11, but after lift off, the airplane would not climb. The airplane collided with snow covered tundra terrain about 1/8 mile from the departure end of the runway. The operator indicated the pilot and a mechanic passenger observed the airplane lights flicker on and off, and smelled an odor of overheated electrical wiring. An inspection of the airplane by the FAA did not reveal any mechanical malfunction. The wind conditions at the airport, from just before and just after the accident, varied from 300 to 312 degrees at 9 knots.
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
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,200 hours in all; 400 in this make and model; 170 in the last 90 days; 100 in the last 30 days; 1,180 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 12,764 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 4, 1996; 81 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: BET at 1:53 pm
- Destination: PKA Napaskiak AK
- Runway 11, 1,850 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: -4°F (-20°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:52 pm from BET, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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 N20024 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.