Cessna 207A accident near Aialak Bay, Alaska, June 25, 1990
On June 25, 1990 at about 10:30 pm local time, a Cessna 207A, registered N9985M, was destroyed in an accident near Aialak Bay, Alaska (Seward airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 5 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT-IN-COMMAND'S ATTEMPT TO FLY UNDER VISUAL FLIGHT RULES WHILE IN INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS TO THE ACCIDENT WERE THE LOW CEILING AND SURROUNDING MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 25, 1990 · about 10:30 pm local time
- Place
- Aialak Bay, Alaska · Seward · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 5 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 207A · all 207As on the register
- Registration
- N9985M · no longer on the register · serial 20700775
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
TWO AIRPLANES DEPARTED SEWARD WITHIN MINUTES OF EACH OTHER ON A LOCAL FLIGHTSEEING TRIP, AND THEIR FLIGHT ROUTES WERE TO BE THE SAME. AFTER REACHING AIALAK BAY, THIS AIRPLANE PASSED THE OTHER AND STARTED THE RETURN TRIP TO SEWARD. THE PASS THEY WOULD NORMALLY USE WAS OBSCURED BY CLOUDS. THE PENINSULA THAT SEPARATED AIALAK BAY AND SEWARD WAS THE ONLY PART OF LAND THAT WAS OBSCURED BY WEATHER. THE BASES OF THE CLOUDS WERE AT 1200 FEET MSL. THE AIRPLANE WAS LOCATED ON THE NORTHEAST SIDE, AT THE 2700 FOOT LEVEL OF A MOUNTAIN, AND THE WRECKAGE WAS SCATTERED ALONG 330 DEGREES. THE PILOT HAD BEEN HIRED LESS THAN 2 MONTHS BEFORE THE ACCIDENT AS A GROUND HANDLER AND FUELER, AND FOR PILOT TRAINING. TWO DAYS BEFORE THE ACCIDENT HE WAS AUTHORIZED TO FLY PART 135 FLIGHTSEEING TRIPS.
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: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 540 hours in all; 100 in the last 90 days; 510 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (invalid medical for flight)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,391 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 18, 1990; 8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-F (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: SWD Seward AK at 4:05 pm
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,200 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
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.