Bettles - Fort Yukon

On June 27, 1981 at 10:15 PM, Bettles - Fort Yukon experienced a crash involving Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar, operated by Hawkins %26 Powers Aviation, with the event recorded near Bettles Alaska.

The flight was categorized as fire fighting and the reported phase was flight at a plain, valley crash site.

6 people were known to be on board, 0 fatalities were recorded, 6 survivors were identified or estimated. This corresponds to an estimated fatality rate of 0.0%.

Crew on board: 2, crew fatalities: 0, passengers on board: 4, passenger fatalities: 0, other fatalities: 0.

The listed crash cause is technical failure. En route from Bettles to Fort Yukon on a fire fighting mission, the airplane was climbing when the right engine caught fire and exploded. The captain ordered the four passengers (firefighters) and the copilot to evacuate the cabin and the captain, sole on board, attempted an emergency landing on a sandbar located near the Kayokuk River. All six occupants were rescued while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Aircraft reference details include registration N8682, MSN 10859, year of manufacture 1952.

Geospatial coordinates for this crash are approximately 66.9077°, -151.5344°.