Cessna 207 accident near Circle, Alaska, September 15, 2002
On September 15, 2002 at about 11:15 pm local time, a Cessna 207, registered N207DG, was substantially damaged in an accident near Circle, Alaska (Circle City airport). 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 inadequate wind evaluation during takeoff resulting in a downwind takeoff and subsequent overrun during an aborted takeoff. Factors in the accident were a tailwind and the pilot's failure to verify the selected flap setting.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 15, 2002 · about 11:15 pm local time
- Place
- Circle, Alaska · Circle City · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 207 · all 207s on the register
- Registration
- N207DG · registry record · serial 20700070
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial certificated pilot was departing runway 15 at an airport with a gravel surface runway that is 3,000 feet long by 60 feet wide. About 1,800 feet after beginning the takeoff run, about 65 knots indicated airspeed, the pilot raised the nose for lift-off, but the airplane did not become airborne. He then aborted the takeoff, and applied the brakes, but the airplane went off the end of the runway into an area of marshy tussock grass. The nose gear strut collapsed, and the airplane came to rest about 75 feet beyond the departure end of the runway. Following the accident, the pilot reported that as he left the airplane to call his company operations, he noticed the wind was favoring runway 33. When he returned to the airplane, he reported the wind was again favoring runway 15. The pilot also indicated that prior to takeoff, he selected 10 degrees of flaps. Following the accident, he noticed the flaps were only deployed to about 3 or 4 degrees of travel, even though the flap indicator was still set at 10 degrees. The pilot said he moved the flap lever several times up and down, but was only able to achieve 10 degrees of flap deployment by moving the flap lever to a 20 degree setting, before selecting a 10 degree setting. In the pilot's written report to the NTSB, he noted the airplane did not have any mechanical malfunction. In the safety recommendation portion of the report, the pilot noted that he could have visually verified the flap setting before takeoff.
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; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,300 hours in all; 107 in this make and model; 95 in the last 90 days; 49 in the last 30 days; 1,260 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 1, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,821 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 26, 2002; 77 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-F (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: 40 Mile Air LTD.
The flight
- Departed from: PACR Circle AK at 6:15 pm
- Destination: PATJ Tok AK
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 15, 3,000 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 3 knots, gusting 7
- Visibility: 100 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°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.