Cessna 207A accident near Sheldon Point, Alaska, October 17, 1987
On October 17, 1987 at about 3:25 am local time, a Cessna 207A, registered N1472M, was substantially damaged in an accident near Sheldon Point, Alaska (Sheldons Point airport). It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 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
- October 17, 1987 · about 3:25 am local time
- Place
- Sheldon Point, Alaska · Sheldons Point · 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
- N1472M · no longer on the register · serial 20700668
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIR TAXI PILOT ATTEMPTED TO LAND ON A SHORT NARROW GRAVEL AIR STRIP IN CROSSWIND CONDITIONS. HE RAN OFF THE END OF THE RUNWAY AND THE AIRPLANE WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED. THE WIND WAS IN EXCESS OF RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE TYPE ACFT. A WITNESS REPORTED THAT THE WIND WAS 40 KTS GUSTING TO 50 KTS FROM 230 DEGREES.
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; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 8,700 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,037 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 13, 1987; 7 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KSM Saint Marys AK at 9:10 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 20, 2,190 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 40 knots, gusting 50
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°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.
Other NTSB records under N1472M 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.