Cessna 207 accident near Near Kenai, Alaska, August 3, 1982
On August 3, 1982 at about 10:15 pm local time, a Cessna 207, registered N1751U, was substantially damaged in an accident near Near Kenai, Alaska. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 6 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 3, 1982 · about 10:15 pm local time
- Place
- Near Kenai, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 6 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 207 · all 207s on the register
- Registration
- N1751U · registry record · serial 00351
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
SEVERAL BLACK BEARS WERE SPOTTED IN A NARROW CANYON AND THE PILOT BEGAN MAKING TIGHT, DESCENDING TURNS SO HIS SIGHTSEEING PASSENGERS COULD GET PHOTOGRAPHS. REPORTEDLY, THE STALL WARNING HORN CAME ON, BUT THE PILOT CONTINUED THE TURNS. HE FINALLY ROLLED OUT OF THE TURN, BUT WAS HEADED UPHILL IN THE VALLEY. THE PILOT WAS UNABLE TO MAINTAIN AIRSPEED WHILE CLIMBING UP THE VALLEY. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE AIRCRAFT CRASHED AND NOSED OVER. THE ELEVATION OF THE CRASH SITE WAS ABOUT 3000 FT AND THE REPORTED TEMPERATURE WAS 62 DEG.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 5,143 hours in all; 95 in this make and model; 131 in the last 90 days; 4,634 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,811 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 32 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-F (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Kenai Air Alaska
The flight
- Departed from: ENA Kenai AK at 1:30 pm
- Destination: ENA Kenai AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 144°F (62°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 5 |
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.