Kotzebue – Nome

On January 20, 1959 at 12:00 AM, Kotzebue – Nome experienced a crash involving Beechcraft C18S, operated by Wien Alaska Airlines, with the event recorded near Kotzebue-Ralph Wien Memorial Alaska.

The flight was categorized as ferry and the reported phase was takeoff (climb) at a airport (less than 10 km from airport) crash site.

1 people were known to be on board, 1 fatalities were recorded, 0 survivors were identified or estimated. This corresponds to an estimated fatality rate of 100.0%.

Crew on board: 1, crew fatalities: 1, passengers on board: 0, passenger fatalities: 0, other fatalities: 0.

The listed crash cause is technical failure. The pilot, sole on board, was returning to his base at Nome after having flown passengers to Kotzebue. After takeoff, a fire erupted in the cabin and the pilot elected to return for an emergency landing. While completing a sharp turn at low height, the right wing struck a telephone pole and was sheared off. Out of control, the airplane crashed and burned, killing the pilot. It was reported that cabin gas heater burst into flames after rotation.

Aircraft reference details include registration N6674C, MSN 8313, year of manufacture 1945.