Cessna 185 accident near Bethel, Alaska, August 9, 2007
On August 9, 2007 at about 1:27 am local time, a Cessna 185, registered N720, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bethel, Alaska. It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The improper [reversed] installation of the fuel selector handle by maintenance personnel.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 9, 2007 · about 1:27 am local time
- Place
- Bethel, Alaska
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 185 · all 185s on the register
- Registration
- N720 · registry record · serial 18504334
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial pilot was repositioning a float-equipped airplane to its mooring site after a 100-hour inspection. About 2 minutes after departure, the pilot reported a loss of engine power, and selected a small pond as a forced landing site. After touchdown on the pond, the airplane collided with the shoreline and nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing, right wing lift strut, empennage, and fuselage. A postaccident inspection of the airplane revealed that the fuel selector handle had been inadvertently reinstalled incorrectly during the recent 100-hour inspection, and when the fuel tank selector handle was placed in the "Both" position, it actually turned the fuel supply off. Investigation revealed slight wear to the keyed cog of the fuel selector valve handle (female receptacle), as well as slight wear to the fuel selector valve connection point (male receptacle). The combined wear patterns of both the fuel selector valve handle and the fuel selector valve connection point allowed the installation of the fuel selector handle 180 degrees from its correct position. When a new fuel selector valve handle was fitted onto the valve connection point, it could only be installed in the correct position, and not 180 degrees from the correct installation.
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: 7,168 hours in all; 6,747 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: February 1, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,754.2 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 1, 2007; 0.1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BET Bethel AK at 8:25 pm
- Destination: Z58 Bethel AK
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 2,100 ft
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.19 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 pm from BET
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ANC07LA077.