Cessna 207 accident near Goodnews Bay, Alaska, June 17, 2016
On June 17, 2016 at about 8:00 pm local time, a 1969 Cessna 207, registered N91170, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Goodnews Bay, Alaska (Goodnews airport). It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to select the correct route through the mountains as a result of geographic disorientation, and his subsequent visual flight into instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in collision with terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 17, 2016 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Goodnews Bay, Alaska · Goodnews · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 207, built 1969 · all 207s on the register
- Registration
- N91170 · registry record · serial 20700101
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During cruise flight through an area of mountainous terrain, the commercial pilot became geographically disoriented and selected the incorrect route through the mountains. Upon realizing it was the incorrect route, he initiated a steep climb while executing a 180° turn. During the steep climbing turn, the airplane inadvertently entered instrument meteorological conditions, and the airplane subsequently impacted an area of rocky, rising terrain. The pilot reported there were no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation of 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
What happened, in order
- VFR encounter with IMC during enroute
- Controlled flight into terrain or object (CFIT) during enroute defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › Mountainous/hilly terrain › Ability to respond/compensate
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Ceiling/visibility/precip › Clouds › Decision related to condition
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,150 hours in all; 78 in this make and model; 141 in the last 90 days; 64 in the last 30 days; 943 as pilot in command; 400 on instruments
- Last flight review: April 16, 2016
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 15,089.1 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 23, 2016; 35 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,803 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor IO 520 SERIES (piston); 1,815 hours total
- Operator: Renfros Alaskan Adventures INC
The flight
- Departed from: AQH Quinhagak AK
- Destination: GNU Goodnews Bay AK
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 29.85 inHg
- Observation at 7:56 pm from PAPM, 14 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
4 documents, released by the NTSB on June 19, 2017. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot Interview Summary | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Statement of Party Representatives to NTSB Investigation | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Photos | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.