Cessna 208 accident near False Pass, Alaska, December 21, 1990
On December 21, 1990 at about 4:20 pm local time, a Cessna 208, registered N9444F, was destroyed in an accident near False Pass, Alaska. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S IMPROPER DECISION TO CONTINUE FLIGHT INTO AN AREA OF MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN AND ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS. THE TERRAIN AND WEATHER WERE FACTORS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 21, 1990 · about 4:20 pm local time
- Place
- False Pass, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 208 · all 208s on the register
- Registration
- N9444F · no longer on the register · serial 20800104
- 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
THE FLIGHT DEPARTED COLD BAY FOR THE APRX 15 MIN FLT TO FALSE PASS. THERE ARE NO WX REPORTING FACILITIES AT FALSE PASS. COLD BAY WX WAS 4,500 FT OVCST, LIGHT RAIN & FOG; FORECAST CALLED FOR FREQ CEILINGS BELOW 1,000 FT. WRECKAGE LOCATED BETWEEN TWO MOUNTAINS. FALSE PASS WX ESTIMATED 400 FT OVCST, 2-3 MI IN RAIN & FOG, WINDS 25-30 KTS. FISHING BOAT CAPTAIN IN AREA ESTIMATED WINDS DOWN THE MOUNTAIN AT 60 MPH OR GREATER.
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; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 11,000 hours in all; 323 in this make and model; 186 in the last 90 days; 60 in the last 30 days; 10,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,787 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, November 15, 1990; 94 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 8,000 lb
- Seats: 10
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W PT6A-114 (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CDB Cold Bay AK at 4:05 pm
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 30 knots
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 39°F (4°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.
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.