Cessna 208B accident near Unalakleet, Alaska, October 24, 2005
On October 24, 2005 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Cessna 208B, registered N1263Y, was substantially damaged in an accident near Unalakleet, Alaska. It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain altitude/clearance from terrain while performing a low altitude maneuver.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 24, 2005 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Unalakleet, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 208B · all 208Bs on the register
- Registration
- N1263Y · no longer on the register · serial 208B0731
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After completing a multiple leg-cargo flight, the commercial pilot was conducting a 14 CFR Part 91, positioning flight. During the flight the pilot was flying at low-level looking for animals. According to the sole passenger, while approaching a ridgeline, the pilot climbed steeply from 150 feet above ground level (agl) to 400-500 feet agl, banked to the left at 75-80 degrees, and started a descent to about 200 feet agl. The passenger said during the descent he saw the pilot look in the back of the airplane because of noise made by the seats under a cargo net. The passenger said he saw the ground coming up fast, and yelled "whoa, whoa, whoa." The pilot looked forward just in time to pull the yoke back prior to the impact with the terrain. The pilot told the director of operations for the operator that there were no mechanical problems with the airplane prior to the accident. The fuselage and wings received substantial damage during the accident.
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: 2,130 hours in all; 740 in this make and model; 270 in the last 90 days; 45 in the last 30 days; 990 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,259 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, October 1, 2005; 100 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 9,062 lb
- Seats: 10
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6-14A (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: WBB Stebbins AK at 4:45 pm
- Destination: PAUN Unalakleet AK
- Flight plan: VFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 5,000 ft; scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 32°F (0°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.63 inHg
- Observation at 5:16 pm from UNK, 15 miles away
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.
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.