Cessna 207 accident near Takotna, Alaska, February 27, 1990
On February 27, 1990 at about 4:00 pm local time, a Cessna 207, registered N73128, was substantially damaged in an accident near Takotna, Alaska (Takotna airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
IMPROPER PLANNING/DECISION BY THE PILOT. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO ATTAIN THE PROPER TOUCHDOWN POINT FOR LANDING, HIS EXCESSIVE AIRSPEED, HIS FAILURE TO GO AROUND WHILE HE STILL HAD SUFFICIENT AIRSPEED, THE SNOW COVERED RUNWAY, AND THE SNOWBANK.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 27, 1990 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- Takotna, Alaska · Takotna
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 207 · all 207s on the register
- Registration
- N73128 · no longer on the register · serial 20700562
- 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
DURING A LANDING ON A 1700' SNOW COVERED RWY, THE ACFT TOUCHED DOWN AT ABOUT MIDFIELD & THE PLT WAS UNABLE TO STOP ON THE REMAINING RWY. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT HIT A SNOWBANK & WAS DAMAGED.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 959 hours in all; 290 in this make and model; 126 in the last 90 days; 53 in the last 30 days; 866 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,192 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, January 24, 1990; 40 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: MCG Mcgrath AK at 3:42 pm
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 6, 1,700 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 27°F (-3°C), dew point 10°F (-12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.