Cessna 207 accident near Anaktuvuk Pass, Alaska, July 7, 2000
On July 7, 2000 at about 2:30 am local time, a Cessna 207, registered N1658U, was substantially damaged in an accident near Anaktuvuk Pass, Alaska. It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's selection of an unsuitable landing area. Factors associated with the accident were a fuel drum, and a tailwind.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 7, 2000 · about 2:30 am local time
- Place
- Anaktuvuk Pass, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 207 · all 207s on the register
- Registration
- N1658U · registry record · serial 20700258
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The certificated airline transport pilot was landing at a remote off airport site. The tundra-covered site, oriented southwest/northeast, is about 800 feet long, and 100 feet wide. The pilot said he overflew the site and noted a 55 gallon fuel drum at the southwest end of the site. He said that there was a light wind from the northeast, making a downwind approach necessary due to the location of the fuel drum. He selected full flaps, and began a landing approach to the southwest. During the approach the tailwind carried the airplane past the pilot's intended landing spot. When the airplane touched down, the main wheels hit a rut that bounced the airplane back into the air. The pilot added full power to abort the landing, and just after lift-off, the airplane's nose wheel and propeller collided with the fuel drum at the end of the airstrip. After the airplane struck the fuel drum, the engine began to vibrate violently. The pilot selected a tundra-covered forced landing site, about 1/4 mile from his original intended landing site. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing, and fuselage.
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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 13,248 hours in all; 5,748 in this make and model; 88 in the last 90 days; 88 in the last 30 days; 13,100 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,353 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 9, 2000; 88 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SCC Deadhorse AK at 7:30 pm
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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 N1658U 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.