Cessna 207 accident near Kalskag, Alaska, July 25, 2001
On July 25, 2001 at about 9:10 pm local time, a Cessna 207, registered N9973M, was substantially damaged in an accident near Kalskag, Alaska (Kalskag airport). It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 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 failure to maintain adequate clearance from an object during the initial climb after takeoff.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 25, 2001 · about 9:10 pm local time
- Place
- Kalskag, Alaska · Kalskag · 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
- N9973M · no longer on the register · serial 20700771
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The air taxi pilot was departing a small village airport in rural Alaska when the left wing collided with a tree. According to the company's director of operations, the pilot originally reported the accident as in-flight collision with a bird, but it was learned later that it was a tree. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,303 hours in all; 1,652 in this make and model; 207 in the last 90 days; 72 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: January 29, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 19,657 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 29, 2001; 71 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520300 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KLG Kalskag AK at 4:10 pm
- Destination: ENM Emmonak AK
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,500 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°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.
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.