Cessna 207 accident near Kipnuk, Alaska, February 16, 2005
On February 16, 2005, a Cessna 207, registered N36CF, was substantially damaged in an accident near Kipnuk, Alaska (Kipnuk airport). It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control of the airplane during the landing roll, which resulted in a departure from the runway and collision with a snow bank. A factor contributing to the accident was snow-covered terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 16, 2005
- Place
- Kipnuk, Alaska · Kipnuk · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 207 · all 207s on the register
- Registration
- N36CF · no longer on the register · serial 20700269
- 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 landing on a snow-covered runway during night visual meteorological conditions. The pilot indicated that when the nose wheel was lowered to the runway after the main landing gear wheels touched down, the airplane suddenly veered to the left. The airplane departed the left side of the runway, and the left wing struck a snow berm. The nose gear strut was displaced when a strut side brace fractured during the accident, and the left wing received damage to the outboard rib, and leading edge of the wingtip. The pilot reported the wind condition as 140 degrees at 5 knots. The operator's director of maintenance reported that during the repair of the nose gear assembly, he found no evidence of a mechanical malfunction. The runway is 2,120 feet long and 35 feet wide, and the FAA Airport/Facility Directory, Alaska Supplement, states, in part: Unattended. Caution: Runway condition not monitored, recommend visual inspection prior to using. Caution: Frequent crosswinds.
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: 3,000 hours in all; 2,000 in this make and model; 120 in the last 90 days; 40 in the last 30 days; 2,500 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 1, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 283,334 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 1, 2005
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-F (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Flight Alaska Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: PACK Chefornak AK at 11:53 pm
- Destination: PAKI Kipnuk AK
- Runway 15, 2,120 ft by 35 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 140° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,000 ft
- Temperature: 32°F (0°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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 N36CF 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.