Cessna 207A accident near Deadhorse, Alaska, April 26, 2001
On April 26, 2001 at about 1:50 am local time, a Cessna 207A, registered N6295H, was substantially damaged in an accident near Deadhorse, Alaska. It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain altitude/clearance while maneuvering. Factors associated with the accident were flat light conditions, and snow-covered terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 26, 2001 · about 1:50 am local time
- Place
- Deadhorse, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 207A · all 207As on the register
- Registration
- N6295H · no longer on the register · serial 20700471
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The certificated airline transport pilot was conducting an aerial caribou survey, aided by radio-equipped tracking collars. He began to receive a radio signal and began a descent over the flat, featureless, snow-covered terrain, and was soon able to make visual contact with a herd of caribou. The pilot said, in part: "...as we passed over the top of the herd I made a turn to the right. The wings had just rolled level, and the airplane just came to a stop in the snow." He added that during the turn, he lost visual contact with the snow-covered terrain, and collided with the ground at a shallow angle. He reported that flat light conditions made it very difficult to discern any topographical features in the surrounding area.
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, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 21,375 hours in all; 196 in this make and model; 74 in the last 90 days; 16 in the last 30 days; 20,850 as pilot in command; 2,475 on instruments
- Last flight review: April 24, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 17,049.9 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 19, 2001; 19.1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SCC Deadhorse AK at 8:15 pm
- Destination: BRW Barrow AK
- Flight plan: VFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,500 ft
- Temperature: 3°F (-16°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.
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.