Cessna 207 accident near Dillingham, Alaska, September 12, 2008
On September 12, 2008 at about 11:35 pm local time, a Cessna 207, registered N6426H, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Dillingham, Alaska. It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 7 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate evaluation of weather and runway conditions, and his improper decision to depart downwind, on a wet gravel runway, resulting in an in-flight collision with terrain after takeoff. Factors contributing to the accident were a tailwind, and an uphill grade of the wet, gravel-covered runway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 12, 2008 · about 11:35 pm local time
- Place
- Dillingham, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 7 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 207 · all 207s on the register
- Registration
- N6426H · no longer on the register · serial 20700
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial pilot was departing to the west, and uphill, from a private 2,400 foot-long, wet, rough and uneven gravel airstrip, with six passengers and baggage during an on-demand charter flight. In the pilot's written statement to the NTSB, he reported that at the time of the accident the airplane's gross weight was 10 pounds under the maximum gross weight. He wrote that during the takeoff roll, the wind suddenly switched to a tailwind, and the airplane failed to climb after it initially became airborne. He said that the airplane settled into an area of tundra-covered terrain about 100 yards west of the runway threshold, and the airplane nosed over. The airplane sustained structural damage to the wings, fuselage, and empennage. The pilot noted that there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane. At the time of the accident the closest weather observation facility, about 2 miles southeast of the accident site, was reporting winds as 090 degrees at 9 knots, with gusts to 15 knots.
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
What happened, in order
- Collision during takeoff/land during takeoff defining event
- Nose over/nose down during takeoff
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- factor Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surfa › (general) › Decision related to condition
- factor Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Tailwind › Contributed to outcome
- factor Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Aircraft capability › Takeoff distance › Capability exceeded
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,700 hours in all; 6,000 in this make and model; 175 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days; 6,700 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: September 4, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 15,833.2 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 18, 2008
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Teledyne Continental Motors IO-520-F (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Shannon'S Air Taxi
The flight
- Departed from: Dillingham AK at 6:35 pm
- Destination: KEK Ekwok AK
- Runway 27, 2,400 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 9 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,500 ft; scat at 800 ft
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.53 inHg
- Observation at 6:31 pm from DLG, 4 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 6 |
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.