Cessna 207 accident near Newtok, Alaska, February 2, 2023
On February 2, 2023 at about 10:29 pm local time, a 1984 Cessna 207, registered N9996M, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Newtok, Alaska (Newtok airport). It was a business flight under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control while landing with a crosswind on an ice-covered runway, resulting in a loss of control and subsequent impact with a snowbank. A factor was the check airman’s inadequate supervision.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 2, 2023 · about 10:29 pm local time · cases in 2023
- Place
- Newtok, Alaska · Newtok · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 207, built 1984 · all 207s on the register
- Registration
- N9996M · registry record · serial 207007779
- 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, seated in the left seat, reported that the operator’s chief pilot/check airman, seated in the right seat, was conducting an operating experience (OE) flight during a CFR Part 135 cargo flight to a remote Alaskan village. The pilot said that her approach to Runway 33, a 35-foot wide, 2,200 ft long, ice-covered runway, required a correction for a strong right crosswind. She added that the airport windsock was frozen in place, making it difficult to discern the wind velocity and direction. She reported that during the landing roll, the airplane began to veer to the left of the runway center. She said that the chief pilot/check airman then took control of the airplane to correct the veer, but the strong crosswind continued to push the airplane to the left on the ice-covered runway. The airplane subsequently collided with a snow berm on the left side of the runway, resulting in substantial damage to the right wing. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. During a follow up conversation with the operator’s director of operations, he said that the chief pilot/check airman was on board the accident flight to provide additional OE to a recently hired pilot due to icy runway conditions and a strong crosswind at the destination airport. This was the pilot’s first flight to the remote village.
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
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surface › Snow/slush/ice covered surface › Effect on equipment
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Crosswind › Effect on operation
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Delayed action › Instructor/check pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 770 hours in all; 34 in this make and model; 91 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days; 663 as pilot in command; 250 on instruments
- Last flight review: January 4, 2023
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot (unmanned)
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 38,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, January 9, 2023; 33.6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-F (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Yute Air Commuter
The flight
- Departed from: BET Bethel AK at 9:30 pm
- Runway 33, 2,200 ft by 35 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 15 knots, gusting 20
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 1:20 pm from PAOO, 27 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Photographs from the investigation 2 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
Photo 1 – View of accident airplane at accident site. Photo
Photo 2 - View of accident airplane at accident site. PhotoThe NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
5 documents, released by the NTSB on April 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 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot's Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Record of Conversation (Director of Operations, Yute Air Commuter) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Witness Statements | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Investigative Photographs | PDF, 2 pages · our copy | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N9996M on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna 207 Skywagon 207 115 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,684 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental IO-520-F 80 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Mertarvik Airport · nearest airport
- Bethel Airport · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Alaska 5,932 since 1982 · 826 in the last ten years
- Alaska 9,146 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ANC23LA019.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.