Cessna 207A accident near Near Kipnuk, Alaska, September 5, 1982
On September 5, 1982 at about 7:45 pm local time, a Cessna 207A, registered N76078, was substantially damaged in an accident near Near Kipnuk, Alaska. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. 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
- September 5, 1982 · about 7:45 pm local time
- Place
- Near Kipnuk, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 207A · all 207As on the register
- Registration
- N76078 · no longer on the register · serial 20700664
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT REPORTED THAT THE AIRCRAFT LOST OIL PRESSURE WHILE HE WAS IN NORMAL CRUISE. SHORTLY THEREAFTER, THE ENGINE BEGAN RUNNING ROUGH. THE ENGINE FAILED COMPLETELY WHILE HE WAS ON AN APPROACH FOR A FORCED LANDING. SHORTLY AFTER TOUCHING DOWN ON UNEVEN, SOFT, WET TUNDRA, THE AIRCRAFT NOSED OVER. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED THERE WAS A CRACK IN THE ENGINE CRANKCASE, PN 633412, WHERE OIL HAD LEAKED OUT. A TEARDOWN OF THE ENGINE REVEALED EVIDENCE OF OIL EXHAUSTION. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT THERE WAS AMPLE OIL WHEN HE CHECKED IT PRIOR TO TAKEOFF.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,225 hours in all; 232 in this make and model; 231 in the last 90 days; 1,060 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,957 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 23 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-F (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Bethel Ventures,Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: C Bethel AK at 11:00 am
- Destination: C Kipnuk AK
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 131°F (55°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
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.