Cessna T-207A accident near Atmautluak, Alaska, August 19, 1983
On August 19, 1983 at about 3:30 pm local time, a Cessna T-207A, registered N73789, was substantially damaged in an accident near Atmautluak, Alaska (Atmautluak airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person was seriously injured; 4 others were unhurt. 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 19, 1983 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- Atmautluak, Alaska · Atmautluak · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 4 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T-207A · all T-207As on the register
- Registration
- N73789 · registry record · serial 20700629
- 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 PLT STATED THAT DURING THE TAKEOFF ROLL, HIS SEAT SLID BACKWARDS & HE WAS UNABLE TO REACH THE CONTROLS. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT VEERED TO THE RIGHT, DEPARTED THE RWY & WENT INTO A SHALLOW POND. THE PLT REPORTED THAT THE SEAT LATCH MALFUNCTIONED & WAS APPARENTLY NOT SECURED BEFORE STARTING THE TAKEOFF, BUT NO BROKEN PARTS WERE FOUND.
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 sea; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,838 hours in all; 874 in this make and model; 260 in the last 90 days; 120 in the last 30 days; 4,764 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 20 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 10, 1983; 73 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-420F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: BET Bethel AK
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 33, 2,200 ft by 40 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 80 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,500 ft; clear
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 4 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N73789 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.