Cessna 207 accident near Fairbanks, Alaska, August 17, 2007
On August 17, 2007 at about 3:20 am local time, a Cessna 207, registered N73463, was substantially damaged in an accident near Fairbanks, 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The loss of engine power in cruise flight due to a lack of sufficient oil. A factor contributing to the accident was the pilot's improper in-flight decision to continue the flight after noting a loss of oil pressure.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 17, 2007 · about 3:20 am local time
- Place
- Fairbanks, Alaska
- 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
- N73463 · no longer on the register · serial 20700593
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial air taxi pilot was returning to base on a cross country positioning flight when he noticed that the engine oil pressure gauge was registering zero. He stated that the rest of the engine gauges appeared normal, and he elected to continue the flight. About 45 minutes later, the engine seized, and the pilot made a forced landing on an oil service road, where the airplane collided with a ditch and received substantial damage. Postaccident inspection of the engine by company maintenance personnel and an FAA airworthiness inspector disclosed that the engine seized due to a lack of oil. No preimpact signs of oil leakage were discovered. The FAA inspector noted that the engine was a high time engine, and was nearly ready for an overhaul. He indicated that the pilot could have returned to his departure airport, or landed at several suitable sites en route with engine power after the low oil pressure reading, but that he elected to continue towards the operator's base.
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: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 10,200 hours in all; 3,500 in this make and model; 450 in the last 90 days; 150 in the last 30 days; 10,050 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 1, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 11,479 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 1, 2007; 32 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Teledyne Continental IO-550 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Squaw Lake AK at 9:10 pm
- Destination: FAI Fairbanks AK
- Flight plan: VFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 7,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°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.