Cessna 207 accident near Bethel, Alaska, November 20, 2022
On November 20, 2022 at about 8:40 pm local time, a 1974 Cessna 207, registered N23CF, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Bethel, Alaska. It was a business flight under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 7 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The total loss of engine power during cruise flight due to fuel starvation and the pilot’s mismanagement of the available fuel.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 20, 2022 · about 8:40 pm local time
- Place
- Bethel, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 7 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 207, built 1974 · all 207s on the register
- Registration
- N23CF · registry record · serial 20700276
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While in cruise flight, the engine experienced a loss of power at 1,000 ft above ground level. The pilot performed the emergency checklist but was unable to restore engine power. He performed a forced landing to an area of ice-covered frozen tundra. Postaccident examination of the engine and fuel system revealed that the left fuel tank was full, and the right fuel tank was empty. No fuel was present in the fuel lines from the cockpit fuel selector to the engine. During the engine examination, the engine started and ran normally. Other than the absence of fuel, no anomalies were noted with the engine that would have precluded normal operation. The airplane’s fuel selector can only operate in the left or right fuel tank position. The operator’s procedure is to change the selected fuel tank at the midpoint of the flight; however, the pilot indicated after the engine examination that he likely forgot to switch fuel tanks.
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
- Fuel starvation during enroute defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of policy/procedure › Pilot
- Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid level
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,328 hours in all; 530 in this make and model; 277 in the last 90 days; 75 in the last 30 days; 1,181 as pilot in command; 500 on instruments
- Last flight review: May 25, 2022
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection; 79.7 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor IO 520 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Yr-Aircraft Leasing LLC
The flight
- Departed from: GNU Goodnews AK at 10:35 am
- Destination: PABE Bethel AK
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 030° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 23°F (-5°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
- Altimeter: 29.35 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 pm from PABE, 6 miles away
Weather report (METAR): PABE 202053Z 03003KT 10SM BKN050 OVC080 M05/M06 A2935 RMK AO2 SLP941 T10501061 56004=
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 6 |
Other NTSB records under N23CF the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ANC23LA006.