Ryan NAVION A accident near Coldfoot, AK
On August 24, 2014, a Ryan NAVION A (airplane) was involved in an accident near Coldfoot, AK. 4 people were seriously injured. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- August 24, 2014
- Place
- Coldfoot, AK
- Aircraft
- Ryan NAVION A · Airplane
- Injuries
- 0 fatal, 4 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 68.076°N, 149.297°W
- NTSB ID
- 20140825X21423
Official records · ANC14FA068
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn August 24, 2014, about 1305 Alaska daylight time, a Ryan Navion A, N4827K, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain while maneuvering in mountainous terrain, approximately 56 nautical miles north-northeast of Coldfoot, Alaska. The airplane was operated by Kirst Aviation, as an on-demand sightseeing flight under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 135. The commercial pilot and the three passengers were seriously injured during the accident. The right-front seat passenger died 35 days after the accident as a result of his injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a visual flight rules (VFR) flight plan was filed for the flight, which originated at Fairbanks International Airport (PAFA), Fairbanks, Alaska about 1003. According to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records, earlier that day the pilot filed a VFR flight plan indicating that he intended to depart from PAFA, stop at Bettles Airport (PABT), Bettles, Alaska; Deadhorse Airport (PASC), Deadhorse, Alaska; and Barter Island LRRS Airport (PABA), Barter Island, Alaska, before returning to PAFA. He indicated that the airplane had approximately 7 hours and 20 minutes of fuel on-board. The accident occurred during the flight between PABT and PASC in Atigun Pass, which is a high mountain pass that crosses the Brooks Range at an altitude of 4,739 feet above mean sea level (msl), at the head of the Dietrich River, where the Dalton Highway and the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, cross the Continental Divide. Review of the Fairbanks Sectional Chart and the World Aero
Probable cause
The pilot’s improper inflight planning and improper decision to deliberately operate the airplane at low altitude in close proximity to obstructions and rising terrain. Contributing to the accident were the pilot’s improper preflight planning and the Federal Aviation Administration’s inappropriate decision to issue a 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 135 certificate to the operator despite the p
More accidents in AK
- Beech 1900C, Nov 23, 1987
- Textron Aviation Inc 208B, Feb 6, 2025
- Dehavilland DHC-3, Jul 7, 2013
- Cessna 208, Oct 10, 2001
- Dehavilland DHC-3, Jun 25, 2015
Browse: Alaska · Ryan aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
