Cessna 207A accident near Bethel, Alaska, November 21, 2021
On November 21, 2021 at about 2:55 am local time, a 1981 Cessna 207A, registered N9794M, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Bethel, Alaska (Bethel airport). It was a business flight under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 6 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The improper installation of an avionics wire harness over a fuel line, which resulted in chafing of the wire harness, arcing, and a subsequent fire.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 21, 2021 · about 2:55 am local time
- Place
- Bethel, Alaska · Bethel · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 6 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 207A, built 1981 · all 207As on the register
- Registration
- N9794M · registry record · serial 20700730
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was conducting a scheduled air taxi flight with five passengers onboard. Shortly after departure, the pilot began to smell an electrical burn odor, and he elected to return to the airport. About 1 minute later, the electrical burn smell intensified, which was followed by visible smoke in the cockpit, and the pilot declared an emergency to the tower. After landing and all the passengers had safely departed the airplane, heavy smoke filled the cockpit and passenger compartment, and the pilot saw a candle-like flame just behind the pilot and co-pilot seats, just beneath the floorboards of the airplane. Moments later, the airplane was engulfed in flames. Postaccident examination of the airframe revealed the origin of the fire to be centered behind the pilot’s row of seats, where a wire harness was found improperly installed on top of the aft fuel line from the left tank. Examination of the wire harness found a range of thermal and electrical damage consistent with chafing from the fuel line. It is likely that the installation of the wire harness permitted contact with the fuel line, which resulted in chafing, arcing, and the subsequent fire.
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
- Fire/smoke (non-impact) during enroute (cruise) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Misc hardware › Misc wiring › Not serviced/maintained
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Electrical power system › Electrical pwr sys wiring › Fatigue/wear/corrosion
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,480 hours in all; 659 in this make and model; 293 in the last 90 days; 128 in the last 30 days; 1,128 as pilot in command; 253 on instruments
- Last flight review: March 30, 2021
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 15,727.9 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 13, 2021
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor IO-520-R (piston); 30,622 hours total
- Fire in flight and on the ground
- Operator: Paklook Air Inc
The flight
- Runway 1L, 6,400 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 010° at 16 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point -8°F (-22°C)
- Altimeter: 29.92 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from PABE
Weather report (METAR): PABE 210253Z 01016KT 10SM CLR M18/M22 A2992 RMK AO2 SLP136 T11831217 56003 $
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 5 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
7 documents, released by the NTSB on September 20, 2023. 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 | Materials Laboratory Factual Report | PDF, 5 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Wreckage Examination | PDF, 14 pages | View Download |
| 4 | FAA Notification Letter for Wiring Issue STC2154AK | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Statement of Party Representatives to NTSB Investigation | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 7 | Investigative Photographs | 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.
Other NTSB records under N9794M the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.