Cessna 207A accident near Nelson Island, Alaska, October 14, 1985
On October 14, 1985 at about 10:50 pm local time, a Cessna 207A, registered N9570M, was substantially damaged in an accident near Nelson Island, Alaska. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person had minor injuries. 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
- October 14, 1985 · about 10:50 pm local time
- Place
- Nelson Island, Alaska
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 207A · all 207As on the register
- Registration
- N9570M · no longer on the register · serial 20700704
- 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 STATED THAT HE LOST 90 PERCENT OF AIRCRAFT CONTROL AND AN ALARMING RATE OF LOST OF ALTITUDE. AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT THE WIND WAS REPORTED AS 140 DEGREES AT 30 KNOTS WITH GUST 40 KNOTS. CHIEF PILOT STATED CROSSING THE ISLAND AT A HIGHER ALTITUDE WOULD HAVE HELPED THE PILOT IN CONTROLLING THE AIRCRAFT.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,660 hours in all; 2,600 in this make and model; 157 in the last 90 days; 100 in the last 30 days; 7,560 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,871 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 1, 1985; 54 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO 520-F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MOU Mt Villiage AK at 5:00 pm
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 30 knots, gusting 40
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 2,500 ft; scat at 1,000 ft
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:00 pm
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.