Cessna 207 accident near Bethel, Alaska, October 27, 1999
On October 27, 1999 at about 9:42 pm local time, a Cessna 207, registered N207SE, 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; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate evaluation of the weather, and his decision to initiate flight into adverse weather conditions. Factors in the accident were adverse weather consisting of low ceilings and icing conditions, inadequate supervision by company management, and airframe icing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 27, 1999 · about 9:42 pm local time
- Place
- Bethel, Alaska · Bethel · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 207 · all 207s on the register
- Registration
- N207SE · no longer on the register · serial 20700237
- 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 commercial certificated pilot arrived at his company offices and conducted a preflight inspection of the accident airplane at 0815 in preparation for a VFR scheduled domestic passenger flight to a remote village. The flight was delayed due to poor weather conditions that included visibilities between 1/2 to 3/4 mile in mist and freezing fog. The ceiling varied between 100 feet, to 1,100 feet. During the delay, two company representatives were in the dispatch office. When the weather conditions improved to 500 feet broken, and a visibility of 4 miles in patchy fog, the pilot departed at 1309 with a Special VFR clearance. The pilot encountered worsening weather about 4 miles from the airport, and decided to return. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed in the Class E airspace around the airport, and the pilot had to hold, out of the surface area awaiting a Special VFR clearance. Once cleared into the surface area, the pilot said he could not see the runway because the windshield of the airplane was iced over. He could see hangars out the side window. The pilot decided to proceed toward the southeast and began a left turn, but said the engine began to run rough and lose power. The pilot said that application of full power was unable to prevent the airplane from losing altitude. He lowered the flaps in preparation for an emergency landing, and the airplane touched down on snow-covered terrain. During the landing, the nose gear was sheared off, and the right wing received rib damage to the outboard end. At the accident scene, an FAA inspector noted about 1/8 inch of ice on the airplane. Three minutes before the accident, the weather conditions at the airport included a visibility of four miles in light snow and patchy fog; sky condition, 100 feet scattered, 400 feet overcast, with occasional localized lower visibility, and the ceiling varyied between 300 to 600 feet. Examination of the airplane after the accident did not reveal any preimpact mechanical malfunction. The engine produced 2,750 rpm on an engine test stand.
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; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,300 hours in all; 100 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 15,043 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 21, 1999; 18 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-F27B (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Hageland Aviation Services INC
The flight
- Departed from: PABE at 4:09 pm
- Destination: AKI Akiak AK
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 400 ft; scat at 100 ft
- Temperature: 10°F (-12°C), dew point 9°F (-13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:33 pm from PAB, 2 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
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 N207SE 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.