Cessna 172 accident near Bethel, Alaska, September 28, 2007
On September 28, 2007 at about 4:30 am local time, a Cessna 172, registered N758TG, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bethel, Alaska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured; 2 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from trees while landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 28, 2007 · about 4:30 am local time
- Place
- Bethel, Alaska
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 2 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N758TG · no longer on the register · serial R1723088
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot was landing a float-equipped airplane on a portion of a river that was surrounded by trees. During the northerly approach to the river, just before touchdown, a gust of wind pushed the airplane to the left, and the pilot overcorrected to the right. The right wing collided with a tree that was hanging over the river. The airplane subsequently pivoted to the right, and descended into the river, sustaining structural damage to the wings, fuselage, and empennage. The pilot said that there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 3,000 hours in all; 2,950 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days; 3,000 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: July 1, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,000 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 1, 2007; 150 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Z59 Bethel AK at 10:30 pm
- Destination: Bethel AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 10 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 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.